


It's just like magic

by catmrib



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternative Universe - Merlin, Anal Sex, Angst, Attempted Murder, Background Character Death, Demons, Dragons, Execution, Eye Contact, F/M, Fights, First Kiss, First Meetings, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, I guess it's a little bit to late to add that, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Jace Wayland Being a Little Shit, Jace Wayland Being an Asshole, Jace Wayland Being an Idiot, M/M, Magic, Masturbation, Multi, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Slow Burn, Supportive Isabelle Lightwood, Work In Progress, and talked about, i guess, i'm gonna tag on anyway, is anyone still reading these tags?, it's mentioned - Freeform, izzy knows everything, just a random person, just putting that right up there, so if any of you have watched Merlin you might recognize some scenes, spoilers in the tags, there are lots of tags for that, there really are tags for everything, whatever, wow there's a tag for that, you don't know him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-04-29 16:18:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 154,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14476473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catmrib/pseuds/catmrib
Summary: Magnus moves to Idris to live with his mother's friend, Luke. Magnus is loving it, except for a few things. There's a death penalty for using magic, which is like breathing to Magnus. Also, he keeps getting in trouble with some royal asshole, and he's starting to fancy the other one.At the same time, Alec is trying his best to do his duties as the future king, but there's this really handsome idiot who keeps getting himself into trouble, and Alec can't stop thinking about him. And there's also the pressing matter of his father wanting to find him a wife.What happens when these two cross paths? Their lives get linked together, will it be a good or a bad thing?This is based on the show, Merlin. But you can read it even if you haven't seen it. You'll probably recognize a few scenes (especially from the first few chapters) if you've watched it.





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> This is my first fanfic where I completely abandon the Shadowhunters/downworlders setting and change everything. I hope you like it, and that I'm not messing everything up completely.
> 
> This will also probably be the longest fic I've ever written, so I'm excited.
> 
> I just want to thank my beta right away for all the help she's already given me and all the help she will give me in the future. I really don't think this would've been here without her.
> 
> There will be more chapters, although I'm not sure exactly how many. I'm gonna do my best to update regularly, but I can't promise anything. 
> 
> Either way, I hope you enjoy and stay for the next chapters!

Magnus had been walking for days when he could finally see the tall towers of  Idris in the distance. He still had a good day of walking before he got to the castle, but with the destination in view walking was much easier. He expected to arrive a few hours before sunset.

He stopped a few times to rest and eat, but even so he arrived early. Now he just had to find Luke, his mother's friend. Magnus was supposed to be staying with him while his mother had to deal with some financial issues. Luke had offered to take care of Magnus for as long as she needed him to, and so Magnus had been set out on his way to Idris. It had taken him almost a week but he knew it was the right thing to do, to help his mother and if he was honest, he was also rather excited to see something new, something that wasn’t the small village where he had been born and spent his whole life at.

Luke, who was working as the royal medic, had not only offered him a place to stay, but also a job. He would be working as Luke’s helper and messenger. He was hoping to save enough money to help his mother, even though his mother had told him to live his own life and that she would manage.

Magnus looked around in awe as he entered the city walls. Everything was so different from what it had been back home. People were hurrying everywhere, guards and soldiers were patrolling the streets, sellers were yelling out their best offers, and everything was just different. Different and exciting.

Magnus had a basic idea of where he had to go to find Luke, but he got lost in the endless streets of the city. He tried asking for directions, but people just hurried by. Eventually he gave up and tried to locate himself by the raging towers in the sky.

He made his way to a big square in front of the castle, but the square was bottled up with people, seemingly gathered around something that was happening. Magnus pushed people aside to try to see what was happening, but when he finally got to see it he wished he hadn’t.There was an execution taking place.

Magnus tried to back away, not wanting to see it happen, but he was locked in place by people who refused to move. He couldn’t take his eyes away from the man, he looked barely thirty. Magnus heard a voice speak and looked up, there on the balcony was a man, the king. King Robert Lightwood.

“This man, Noah Plauger, has been proven guilty of using magic and witchcraft. That is, by the laws of Idris, forbidden and banned. The punishment for using and practicing these arts is death. Let this stand as an example for all of you!” The king’s voice was loud and clear, and every word he said sent chills down Magnus’ back. Most people who used magic had learned it either through books or teachers and spent years training just to be able to control the force. Magnus was different. He had been born with the magic, he didn’t have to obtain it, it was a part of him.

Magnus didn’t want the magic, he knew it was forbidden in Idris, and he knew there was a death penalty if you were caught using it. But Magnus didn’t plan to use it, it just happened, like an instinct. He couldn't control it, and after what he just saw, he was scared. He would have to be extra careful, and sooner or later he had to learn how to control it. For now, he was left to watch the man’s head be separated from his body. As soon as the head hit the ground the crowd started to diminish, finally giving him space to move. Magnus stood there for a while, not knowing where to go now that he’d found the castle. He watched as some men cleaned up and remove the body from where it had been executed before he shook himself out of it and went to look for someone that wouldn’t ignore him. He ended up asking one of the guards after no one else would help him. He was intimidated by them, especially with the execution so fresh in mind, but he had to get help somewhere.

“Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find the royal medic?” The guard looked down at Magnus with an annoyed look, but he answered.

“In his flat, probably,” not the answer Magnus was looking for, but it was something.

“And… where is that?”

“Over there, you see that door? In there, up the stairs, on the second floor.” The guard said with an exasperated sigh. Magnus nodded and thanked the guard before he headed the way he had pointed. He made his way up the stairs and knocked at the door with a sign saying _“Royal Medic”_ hanging over it.

“Come in!” A voice said from inside. Magnus opened the door carefully and entered, looking around for Luke. He’d never met Luke before, although his mother talked about him all the time. He was an old family friend, and he’d moved to Idris before Magnus was born. But he and his mother had always stayed in touch by sending each other letters almost weekly.

He saw someone standing on top of a ladder, the man was staring at the top shelves on the tallest bookshelf Magnus had ever seen. He was obviously looking for something, and probably busy, so Magnus sat down in a chair and didn’t say a word. He could talk to Luke when the man was done.

Magnus watched Luke’s eyes reading the title of every book, looking for a specific one. He must’ve found it because he reached out for one of them, a book thicker than a brick, and probably as heavy as one. Luke released his hold on the ladder to get a good grip on the book, and before Magnus could process what was happening Luke was falling.

Magnus didn’t understand what was happening, he just saw that Luke was falling, and then he wasn’t. He was floating in the air, just a few inches from the ground. By the time Magnus could think clearly Luke had already dropped the last few inches and was looking at him with a murderous glare.

“What did you do?” He asked as he stood up.

“Nothing!” Magnus said as he stood up from the chair.  
“It obviously wasn’t nothing, I just flew!”

“But it wasn’t me!” Magnus defended himself, backing away from the man.

“I don’t see anyone else here,” Luke said. “And I recognize magic when I see it. Where did you learn it?”

“I didn’t,” Magnus said as his back hit the table, toppling a few items over.

“I won’t tell anyone, but I want you to be honest with me,”

“What do you want me to say?”

“The truth,”

“I was born this way!” Luke’s stare told Magnus he didn’t believe him,

“That’s impossible,” Luke said, already turning away from Magnus. “Wait, who are you?” He asked, quickly turning back to Magnus.

“Oh, I..I’m Magnus… I have a letter, from my mother. You know her, it’s Amisha,”

“Magnus… Of course, yes! But you weren’t supposed to come till Wednesday!”

“Uh.. it is Wednesday.”

“It is? Oh, okay then. You can go put your bag in your room, over there,” Luke said, pointing to the left end of the room, where a light wooden door led into a big bedroom. Much bigger than the one Magnus had back in his mother's house. Magnus dropped his backpack on the floor and looked back at Luke, who was now sitting in a chair with the gigantic book in his lap. Magnus went to stand by Luke’s side.

“You… you won’t tell anyone? About what just happened I mean,”

“No, I won’t. But you need to be more careful, you can’t walk around doing that or you’ll get caught for sure.”

“I know, but I can’t control it! It just happens,” Magnus exclaimed.

“Well, you’re gonna have to learn. I’ll see how I can help. But right now you should go to sleep, it’s getting late, and you’ve had a long week.” Luke said, ushering Magnus back to his room.

Magnus sat down on the bed and looked around, the room was big and had basically everything he might ever need. A bed, which seemed to be rather comfortable. A desk and a chair so he could work and maybe write letters for his mom or to update his journal. There was also a cupboard and a few shelves. The cupboard seemed to be empty but the shelves were filled with books, in all sizes and colors, some even seemed to be in a different language. Magnus was excited to read them all, but right now he was tired after a week of walking.

He stuffed the few clothes he’d brought in the cupboard, changed into sleepwear and collapsed on the bed, crawled under the covers and fell asleep almost immediately.

 

* * *

 

Alec Lightwood had had no idea that Magnus was now in Idris, truth to be told he didn’t even know Magnus existed. As the prince of Idris he had other things to do then know exactly who was moving into the city or not. He had to take care of more important things like training his sword skills for the tournament his father wanted him to compete in, and meet possible brides. On this day there was also the big event of the execution, something he tried not to get involved with, too much.

Alec understood why his father had banned magic, it could be evil. Alec wasn't old enough to remember the war, but he'd been told stories, and he knew magic was bad. But execution, that was a big price to pay for just doing some harmless magic. But, as his father said, the law is hard, but it is the law.

As the prince and future king Alec had to witness the execution, but luckily he didn't have to stand on the balcony with his father, he could simply watch from one of the many windows. He stayed by the window after the execution, saw some of the servants take the body away and clean the blood that had spilled on the ground. He also noticed someone, a few years younger than him probably, looking around, seeming lost. He saw the boy try to talk to people, probably to ask them for directions. After a few tries, he looked hesitantly at one of the guards. He seemed intimidated by them, which made Alec chuckle lightly to himself.

The guard showed him where to go, and Alec watched him as he left to where the Royal workers lived. Which made Alec curious, who was he? Alec was thinking about who he could ask, who would know, when his thoughts were interrupted by his father's voice.

“What did you think about the execution?”

Alec turned around to face his father, looking him straight in the eye when he said, “I think it was unnecessary and immoderate.” His father knew very well what he thought about death penalties.

“He committed a crime! Everyone knows that the punishment for sorcery is death.”

“Yeah, I know. I just don't think he deserved to die. I mean, he only used it to make his crops grow faster, his family was starving!”

“It doesn't matter what his motives were, he committed a crime and he confessed, and now he has paid the price.” With that Robert turned around and left, leaving Alec alone by the window again.

Alec looked out again, but the boy was gone and the square was empty, nothing to look at. He retired to his chambers, calling on a random servant to warm up some water and get his sleepwear. Alec still didn’t have a private servant, much to his father's dismay. _“A prince your age must have a private servant!”_ he always said. Isabelle, his sister and therefore the princess, had already chosen hers, Clary.

When the royal children reached the age of 15 they could choose a private servant out of all the servants working in the castle, a servant that would help them bath, prepare their food, polish their swords and armors, and do basically everything. Alec was now 21 and he still hadn’t chosen one. He’d just never met a person he thought he could spend that much time with without getting tired of them.

So Alec called a random servant, and every time he got a different one. This time it was a man Alec had seen around the castle a few times. He warmed up a bath for Alec before leaving his sleepwear close by and leaving. He didn't say a single word while doing that. That was another thing Alec couldn't stand if he had a private servant, their fear of speaking up to him, or how formal they were when they did, always calling him sire or highness, and Alec was tired of it. He wanted someone he could be himself with, not the prince of Idris, not the future king, not even a Lightwood. Just Alec.

As Alec sank into the water he started thinking about the man he'd seen earlier. Alec couldn't deny that he was handsome, but he couldn't act on it. Alec was the future king, every week he was introduced to new princesses from all the kingdoms around them, and he was expected to choose one. Robert would never let Alec marry for love. Unless Alec happened to fall in love with a princess from a powerful kingdom, which of course wasn't happening. Alec had already come to terms with the fact that he was going to be lonely for all his life, but he still had eyes, and even from afar he could see how attractive the man was. But it didn't matter. He was probably never going to see him again anyway.

Alec finished his bath quickly as the water became cold. He got dressed and called a servant to remove the bath from his room before he went to bed. He dreamed about the strange newcomer. Maybe he could see him again, like this.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Magnus noticed when he woke up was how comfortable he was. While he had been traveling he was lucky if he got to sleep in a stable, usually he slept on the ground outside with only a blanket to shield him from the cold night air, so waking up in a comfortable, warm bed was like waking up on a cloud. But he didn’t get to stay there long. Just a few minutes after he’d woken up, Luke came storming in, telling him it was time for breakfast.

Magnus reluctantly got out of bed and got dressed before he left his room. Luke had already finished his breakfast it seemed, and was now preparing for a new day of work. Magnus sat down at the table and looked down at the bowl that was placed in front of him. He usually wasn’t picky with food, but this… this didn’t even look like food. Magnus stirred the substance around with his spoon, debating with himself whether he should eat it or be hungry for half the day.

He was about to take a hesitant spoonful, maybe it just looked awful. But just as he was about to he noticed a motion in his side view. By the time he had managed to fully turn his head he saw a bucket floating in the air, water pouring out of it but not falling to the ground, like gravity didn’t matter. Magnus looked up at Luke, who was staring at Magnus in wonder, and then back at the bucket. It fell to the floor immediately, all the water spilling out on the wood.

“How did you do that? Did you say some spell in your head?”

“No! I've told you it just happens, it's an instinct.” Magnus said as he stood up and went to get the mop he'd seen by the door the day before.

“Your eyes glow when you do it,” Luke said, stopping Magnus in his tracks.

“What?”

“Your eyes glow yellow when you do the magic. I've never seen anything like it,” Luke said as he took the mop from Magnus's hands and started to clean up. “You have to learn to control it”

“Yes I know, thank you” Mangus replied, annoyance clear in his tone but Luke just grinned.

“Have breakfast first” Luke said.

“This?” Magnus asked, looking down at the bowl again. Luke chuckled when he saw Magnus’ disgusted face.

“There’s some bread in the cupboard, go make yourself a sandwich,” he said and smiled as Magnus sighed in relief. “And after that I have a few things I need you to do,” Luke added, already getting out the medication he needed Magnus to deliver.

Magnus nodded and started making the sandwich, which looked much better than whatever had been in the bowl.

“What is it that you need me to do?” he asked before he took the first bite.

“I have this medication I need you to deliver to Joey Slowe and this sleeping potion to princess Isabelle. She’s been having nightmares lately, the poor girl.”

“Okay, where can I find them?”

“Joey lives downstairs, you’ll find his door easily. Isabelle will probably be in her chambers, but if she’s not you can ask pretty much anyone,” Luke said and handed Magnus two vials. “Off you go,” he hushed Magnus out of the door.

Magnus put the vials in his pocket and left. He went down the stairs and found Joey’s door quite easily, his name was written in big, golden letters over the door. Magnus knocked on the door and stood patiently waiting while he finished his breakfast. The door opened to reveal an old man, Magnus was sure he was at least a hundred years old. “Um, hi. Are you Joey Slowe?”

“Yes I am, who are you, young boy?” The man said in a creaky old voice, only adding to Magnus’ suspicion of the man’s age.

“I am Magnus, Luke’s, umm, helper, I guess. I’m here with your medicine,” Magnus said, taking the vial out of his pocket. “Here you go,”

Joey reached out for the vial, and Magnus put it in his hand. “Thank you, young man,”

“You’re welcome,” Magnus said before the man closed the door, leaving Magnus alone in the hallway.

Magnus left the building and went to the big square outside, where the execution had happened barely a day before. He wasn’t exactly sure where the entrance to the castle was, but he had an idea. He had to pass by a square, one even bigger than this one. From what he’d seen the day before it was a place with lots of knights, they had seemed to be training.

Magnus made his way to the square and saw that there were indeed lots of knights there, training and Magnus knew that he shouldn’t but he did allow himself a few glances at the gorgeous men, fighting. He couldn’t help himself, he did have eyes after all!

He noticed a man, probably just a few years older than him, with blonde hair and a cocky smile on his face. He seemed to be harassing someone, a servant probably. “Come on, is that the best you can do?!” The man yelled at the terrified boy, “All you need to do is run around with this shield, is that too hard for you to understand?!” The man yelled and threw a shield at the boy. He seemed to be having a hard time just holding it up. “Come on, run!” The blondie yelled, and the boy ran. And only then did Magnus really understand why the boy was so terrified. They were using him as a moving target. Magnus hated the blondie already.

Magnus saw the boy hang on to the shield for dare life, daggers hitting the shield repeatedly as the knights threw them. The shield slipped out of the boys hands and rolled over to where Magnus was standing. “Hey, that’s enough, don’t you think?” Magnus said, looking at the men.

“What did you say?” The blondie asked, looking annoyed at Magnus.

“You’ve had your fun, it’s enough, don’t you think, my friend?”

“Do I know you?” Blondie said and took a few steps towards Magnus, looking him up and down judgingly.

“No,”

“And yet you called me friend,”

“Ah, sorry, that was my mistake. I would never have a friend as mean as you,” Magnus said, grinning at blondies annoyed huff. He started walking away, having already had enough of him.

“Nor I as stupid as you!” Blondie said, following Magnus. “Tell me, boy, do you know how to walk on your knees?”

“Nope,” Magnus said,

“Would you like me to teach you?”

“You really don't want to do that,” Magnus didn't say it in a threatening way, more matter of factly.

“Why not? What are you gonna do to me?”

“You have no idea,” Magnus mumbled.

“Well come on then! Come on!” Blondie opened his arms wide, inviting Magnus to do his worst. And how Magnus wanted to, he wanted to hit him with all he had, send him flying into the wall ten meters away. But he couldn't, not to a knight, and not in front of all these people. He'd been in Idris for less than a day, he couldn't mess it up. But the way blondie kept teasing him, laughing at him, Magnus couldn't just stand there, he had to do something. And that was probably the thought that led to him trying to punch blondie in the face. Magnus regretted it as soon as he’d done it, he was attacking a fully armed knight, and all he had to defend himself with was magic, which was illegal and could get him killed.

Blondie easily deflected Magnus's punch and had Magnus pinned to a wall that Magnus was sure hadn't been there earlier. “I'll get you in jail for that,” blondie said as he twisted Magnus's arm, probably just for the fun of it since he seemed to be not just an ass but also a sadist.

“Who do you think you are, the king?” Magnus gritted out, determined of not letting his pain show.

“No, I'm his son. Jace,” only then did Magnus realize how screwed he was. He'd tried to punch a member of the royal family. In less then a day he'd already messed up.

Magnus sighed when blondie, Jace, released his arm, but just a second later he was being manhandled by two guards towards the prison cells. He was so screwed.

 

* * *

 

Alec had been sitting in the shadow, he was resting after hours of training. He noticed the same guy he'd seen the day before, he seemed lost again. Alec wanted to go greet him, talk to him, and maybe help him on his way, but before he got to do any of that his eyes landed on Jace.

Jace was harassing his servant again. Alec had told him to stop so many times, but Jace kept acting like an ass. It was his defense mechanism, to look all tough and mean in front of people, Alec got it, he just didn't like that Jace took it out on other people. He was about to go tell Jace to cut it out when  someone whose spoke up. That man again. Alec couldn't really hear what he was saying from where he was sitting, but from Jace’s annoyed look it was probably something along the lines of “stop”. Jace didn't like being told to stop, as his face clearly stated.

They were talking back and forth, and even though Alec couldn't hear them he had some idea of what they were saying. The man started walking away, a wise choice if you asked Alec, but Jace stopped him, clearly not done with him. Alec saw things start to get heated, and when Jace opened his arms in invitation he started to worry. He stood up, wanting to go stop the fight before it happened, but before he could as much as take a single step, there was already a fist in the air.

Alec sped his pace up, he could still stop the worst from happening, like Jace losing his patience and beating the other one up. Not like Jace usually did that, but honestly, it was hard to know with Jace. However, he was barely halfway there when he was stopped by someone, “Sire! Alexander, wait!” It was some random knight, Alec didn't know his name, nor what he wanted. The man said something that Alec didn't catch, but it distracted him. He only looked away for a second, but by the time he looked back, the man was being dragged away by the guards. Nothing Alec could do for him now.

Instead, his eyes settled back on Jace, who was now pulling daggers out of the shield and laughing with all those knights he called friends. “What was that for?” Alec asked as soon as he was within hearing range.

“What was what for?” Jace said in an innocent voice.

“That guy, pinning him up against the wall, putting him in jail, what was that for?”

“He tried to punch me!”

“You were provoking him! And all he did was tell you to stop being an ass,”

“How about _you_ stop being an ass? Don't you have some future king stuff to do?” Jace asked with a snark. Alec almost wanted to punch him himself. Instead of doing that, he turned around and left for his chambers. He just wanted to be alone now.

The man, that beautiful man Alec thought he was never going to see again, had just stood up to Jace, and gotten himself arrested in the process. Stupid, really, attacking a member of the royal family, he had to be an idiot. A brave one though, to dare to stand up to Jace while he was harassing someone. He probably didn't know Jace was a member of the royal family, but still. He'd stood up to a fully armed knight while he himself was unarmed. A brave idiot.

 

* * *

 

Magnus was screwed, so screwed. He was pacing in the little cell he was locked in. How could he have been so stupid? What was Luke going to tell his mother? He'd promised both of them he'd stay out of trouble, and here he was, in a cell. He'd tried to punch the prince for fucks sake! How did he end up in that situation?

Magnus had never been in prison before, actually, there wasn't a prison in the village he'd lived in his whole life, everything here was new. And honestly, the inside of a cell was not really what Magnus wanted to see first. _But that's what happens when you try to punch the fucking prince,_ his brain supplied, somehow annoying himself.

There wasn't much to do in the cell. The only thing there was a stack of hay, which Magnus supposed he was going to sleep on. And that was literally it, a haystack, three walls, and a door. And Magnus was probably going to spend quite some time here after he tried to punch the prince. Magnus couldn't stop thinking of that, the prince. _The prince._ Magnus tried to punch the _prince._ He was probably going to spend the rest of his life in prison for treason.

Magnus sat down on the haystack and stared at the wall, he didn't have much else to do. He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there when the door was opened and two guards came into the cell. “What's going on?” Magnus asked, expecting the worst.

“Your punishment has been changed, King Robert and Luke agreed a more fitting punishment.” They were gonna execute him, Magnus was sure of it. Luke had told the king about his magic and now they were going to kill him. He was going to die, and all because he tried to punch a prince. Magnus didn't even try to resist as they dragged him outside, his life was over, he couldn't run, what was the point?

The guards led him to a marketplace, a simple market. Booths were selling fruits and vegetables, kids were running around. _Kids,_ Magnus couldn't be executed in front of _kids._ One of the guards let go of his arm and pulled a key out of his pocket. Were they going to execute him with a key? No, they were doing something else, was that a stock? Would that be better or worse than a life in prison? At least the stock would be temporary.

“How long am I supposed to be here,” Magnus asked while the guards motioned for him to position himself. There was no point in fighting.

“A few hours, we’ll come release you when it’s over,” Well that was a relief. He wasn’t going to spend his life locked up. Maybe this wasn’t worth punching, well, trying to punch, the prince, but at least his life wasn’t over because of it.

As soon as all was locked into place the guards left, and Magnus stayed, as he had no other choice. He could deal with this, right? He just had to stay still for a few hours while people went on with their work, some stopping up to laugh or point at him. Magnus noticed the children he’d seen earlier take a big interest in him. They were pointing at him, they seemed to be planning something. Not a good sign for Magnus. Especially not when one of them left, only to come back a few minutes later with a basket full of what Magnus could only assume was old vegetables from one of the booths. _Well then, brace yourself,_ Magnus told himself. He knew what was coming. God, they were going to mess up his hair. It would be hell to wash it later.

Magnus tried not to think of that as the children approached, tried not to think of anything. _Just close your eyes and pretend it’s something else,_ not that that was going to help all that much, but there wasn’t much else to do.

 

* * *

 

Magnus had lost track of time, he was caught in a cycle. People passed by, joined the kids in making fun of him, and then left. Kids were called away by their parents, new ones came along, the basket got empty and someone ran to fill it, and then it all happened again.

When the guard had said “a few hours” that could have been everything from two to four or five, and Magnus hadn’t asked him to clarify, so even if he did know how much time had passed he couldn’t know how much time was left. What he could know was that the kids’ basket was getting empty, so he would have a few minutes of peace.

As the kids went to fill the basket a girl approached him. “Hi,” she said with a smile.

“Um, hi,” Magnus said confused.

“I’m Catarina, although most people call me Cat,” The girl introduced herself.

“Oh, well I’m Magnus. Although most people call me idiot.”

“No, I saw what you did, you weren’t an idiot, you were brave,” Catarina said, a look Magnus could almost have thought was awe on her face. But no, she couldn’t be in awe of Magnus. “No one ever stands up to Jace, well, except for his siblings of course. But you, you did, and that was really, really brave.”

“Really?” Magnus wondered out loud.

“Yes. People around here are so used to it they don’t even try to fight it, but you… everyone admires you,”

“Well, Cat, you should probably go. My _admirers_ are here,” Magnus said with a look at a bunch of children running towards them.

“I probably should. I’ll see you around, Magnus,” she chuckled as she walked away, leaving Magnus to his _admirers._

 

* * *

 

 

There he was again. That goddamned man. He was currently getting thrown vegetables at, the consequences of trying to punch Jace.

No matter how hard Alec had tried he just couldn’t get his mind off him. Ever since he’d seen him in that square. It probably wasn’t a coincidence he’d ended up by a window facing the market he knew he was going to be at. He hadn’t even thought about it, one second he had been roaming the castle with no destination and the next he was looking at that goddamned idiot. The brave idiot.

Alec still didn’t know his name, only that he worked for the royal medic, and he wasn’t going away any time soon. Alec still hadn’t decided if that was a good thing or not. But it seemed like his body had made a decision for him and Alec was moving out of the castle and to the small marketplace. Maybe he could make the boy move to the castle, convince his father that it would be a better punishment for the man to work there, preferably for Alec.

Alec was unsure of what he was feeling. Attraction, without a doubt. But it felt like more than that. But it couldn’t be, how could he like someone he didn’t even know the name of? Could you really start to like someone just by watching them? No, no of course not. It was just Alec’s heart, so desperate to feel the love he knew he would never have that it invented feelings, hoping to get him there. But Alec couldn’t have that kind of love, not in the way he wanted it. He knew that, his brain knew and accepted that, and his heart knew it. So why was he feeling like this? _Get a grip on yourself,_ he thought.

He had arrived at the market, and although some people greeted him with “Sire,” or “Your Highness,” he went mostly unnoticed in the crowd. He tried to stay like that, unnoticed. He avoided the knights and kept his head down until he could see the him again, surrounded by children and some other bypassers. He stood and watched from a small distance. The man seemed quite happy considering he was being punished, but then again he probably thought he had a lifetime of prison ahead of him, so a few hours on the stock were probably a relief. He was smiling, not a big smile, Alec probably wouldn’t have seen it if he wasn’t studying his face so intently.

Alec stood there for a good ten minutes, just looking at him before the children ran out of vegetables to throw. They ran away to get more, and Alec started to slowly approach the him. He was scared of what people would think if they saw him, the future king, talking to a criminal, but whatever feelings he had for the man overrode all the fear.

He was just a few steps away, the man had noticed him and was looking at him curiously. But that exact second two guards appeared out of nowhere, placing themselves between Alec and him, their backs to Alec. At first Alec though they were trying to protect him, although from what he didn’t get, the boy was harmless. But then he realized they weren’t there for him, they hadn’t even noticed him. No, they were freeing the man, and once he was free they lead him away, all before Alec could even mutter a single word.

Alec watched them go, the man between the two guards, and he didn’t look back once. Alec had hoped he would, had hoped to look into those brown eyes again, for more than just a fraction of a second.

But Alec stared at his back, and other parts, and he didn’t look back. And then he turned a corner and was gone, out of Alec’s sight.

 

* * *

 

The guards followed Magnus all the way back to Luke’s house and only left his side after Luke had told Magnus to go wash off everything. By the time Magnus came out again, Luke was sitting at the table with dinner, and the guards were long gone.

Magnus sat down and immediately started eating, he was starving. Only after half the food on the plate was gone did Magnus stop to breathe and talk. “Thank you,” He said to Luke, “For, you know, getting me out of prison,”

“You’re welcome. But don’t do that, ever again.” Luke said sternly.

“He was asking for it! I didn’t know he was the prince, all I knew was that he was an ass.”

“It doesn’t matter. No matter how much they ask for it, don’t get in a fight. What would I tell your mother when she asked me how you were doing? I promised her I would take good care of you, but you’re not making it easy!”

“I know,” Magnus said, looking down at his plate. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I’ll do my best not to do it again,” Luke looked pleased with the apology.

“Good,” He said. There was a short silence while both of them ate, until Magnus remembered something.

“Oh no, I didn’t give the potion to the princess!” He exclaimed, “I have to do that, now.”

“Finish eating first, it’s already hours late, so ten minutes more won't make a difference. Princess Isabelle tends to be very understanding.” Magnus reluctantly sat down again. He was disappointed in himself for not being able to do the simplest of work, for getting distracted, but what Luke said made sense so he sat down again.

Just a few minutes later he was finishing up and ready to leave. “She’s in her chambers, right?” he asked just to be sure.

“That's where she should be, but if not I’m sure someone will know where she can be found. Off you go now, and don’t get yourself in trouble!”

The castle was just a few minutes away from Luke’s house. Well, the actual castle was two meters away, but the doors to the castle, they were in a completely different place.

The doors to the castle were open, and only two guards were guarding them. Magnus had expected locked doors and full security, but apparently it wasn’t like that. Magnus had never been in a castle, never even seen one before he left on his journey to Idris.

The castle was beautiful on the inside, tall ceilings were painted and the windows were taller than Magnus himself. The place was enormous, and after almost ten minutes of walking, Magnus had to admit to himself that he was lost. He’d only seen a few people in the halls, the castle seemed deserted.

But at the end of the hall, he spotted someone turning a corner, just a flash of bright, red hair. “Hey!” He yelled after the person, running to catch up with them and hoping however it was hadn’t disappeared by the time he turned the corner. “Wait!” He turned the corner and saw a girl, with the bright red hair, turning around to look at him. “Wait,” Magnus said again, just to make sure she wouldn’t leave. He walked up to her as he caught his breath. “I- can you help me?”

The girl looked curiously at him before smiling and nodding. “Of course, what do you need help with?”

“I… I’m kinda lost. I’m looking for the princess, Isabelle?”

“Oh, who are you?”

“I’m Magnus Bane, I work for Luke, the medic.”

“Are you here to deliver the sleeping potion?” The girl asked.

“Yeah, how did you know that?”

“I’m Clary, her maid. I’ll show you to her chambers.” Magnus smiled thankfully at her and let her lead the way. She lead him through the castle and the halls that reminded Magnus of a labyrinth.

“I know it seems confusing at first, but you’ll get used to it,” Clary said after they’d been walking for a while in silence. They stopped by a room shortly after, and Clary waved Magnus inside. “She’s not here right now, but you can just leave the potion here and I’ll give it to her when she comes,” Clary offered.

“Would you do that?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Thank you, Clary,” Magnus said.

“Any time, Magnus. I hope to see you again.” Clary said with a smile again.

“I’ll see you around,” Magnus said before leaving the room. Now he just had to find his way out.

 

* * *

 

There he was, yet again! Alec was on his way to his chambers, just a few doors away from Izzy’s, when the he appeared. It had been less than an hour since he’d been lead away right in front of Alec, but now he wawas a clean, like all the events earlier that day hadn’t happened.

Alec realized this was the first time he’d seen him up close without rotten tomatoes in his hair. He wasn’t exactly “up close,” he was at the end of the hall, peeking out from the corner. It was stupid, really. He was the future king! He shouldn’t be afraid of approaching someone in the castle. _Come on, Alec. You can do this,_ he thought. _Just a quick chat,_ that was all Alec wanted. Just find out the man’s name, age, how long he would be staying… Just a friendly chat with the Royal Medic’s messenger.

The man was still standing in the middle of the hallway, but he seemed to have decided what way he wanted to go, so it was now or never. _Now!_ Alec stepped around the corner. He hadn't been seen yet, but he would be soon.

“Alec!” _Jace, not now!_ The man heard him too, and when he looked up his eyes passed Alec and spotted a mop of blonde hair. In a matter of seconds he was gone, and Jace was by Alec’s side. Alec was never going to get a chance like this again. The hallway had been empty, just Alec and the man. Was this some higher force trying to tell Alec to stop, to realize he wasn’t getting love, to stop Alec from doing something stupid? “Alec! Are you listening?”

“Hm, yeah what?”

“Have you heard about the banquet happening next week?” Jace asked.

“No, what about it?”

“Dad’s making it because some singer he likes is coming to sing here at the castle, she’s coming all the way from Edom! Can you believe that?”

“Yeah, that’s nice…” Alec said, feigning interest. Jace kept talking about the woman, and Alec didn’t stop him and he didn’t leave. He just listened, although he would much rather be chasing a certain man.


	2. The banquet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus gets himself into trouble again and meets Alec for the first time. 
> 
> Alec and Izzy talk.
> 
> Luke and Magnus talk about why magic was banned.
> 
> Everyone needs to get ready for the banquet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I actually finished the chapter in a week. I wasn't sure if I would manage, but I did, so here it is!
> 
> I hope you like it, I changed some of the backstory and some other stuff, but hey, that's what fanfiction is for, right?
> 
> Anyway, I'll let you get to the actual fic now. Enjoy!

Magnus had been in Idris for five days, and other then that first day everything had gone smoothly. He hadn’t seen Jace again, and he’d already made some friends! He’d seen Catarina again two days after they’d first met, and now they were meeting regularly. If you could call it that after they’d known each other for less then a week.

Magnus also considered Clary a friend, although they’d only talked twice. Magnus saw her around in the castle when he had stuff to deliver there.

He was getting used to working for Luke. Mostly he just had to deliver medications or get ingredients, but it was fun. He got to explore the city, both inside and outside the walls. Luke had sent his mother a letter, to let her know he had arrived safely. He avoided telling her about the incident with Jace though, which Magnus was very grateful for.

Right now Magnus was on his way to the castle again, some knight needed some painkillers after getting hurt during sword practice. The knight didn’t live in the castle but had agreed to meet Magnus there. Clary had shown Magnus another way into the castle, so he didn’t need to pass the training knights. He hoped to avoid Jace, and any other royal ass, this way. This way was slightly longer, but Magnus didn’t mind, he liked walking through the streets, the markets. Until he spotted Jace ahead of him that was.

Magnus was already turning around, but Jace had seen him. “Have you learned how to walk on your knees yet?” He said mockingly. Magnus tried to walk past him, he didn’t want another fight. “No, don’t walk away! What, are you scared?” Magnus _couldn’t_ get into another fight. _No_.

“Of you?” But he really couldn’t do nothing. “I’ve already told you you’re an ass, I just didn’t know you were a royal one,” Magnus said.

“Yeah? Well, now you do. What’re you gonna do about it?”

“I don’t know, I have a few appealing ideas,” Magnus was already thinking of all the things he could do without even lifting a finger. Screw the death penalty. Jace however just chuckled. He obviously didn’t see Magnus as a threat.

“I could take you apart with one blow,” He said.

“I could take you apart with less,” Magnus mumbled.

“That didn’t go so well for you last time, did it?” Jace laughed. “But we’ll make it fair this time,” Jace signaled to a knight behind him and the knight handed him two flails. He threw one at Magnus, and Magnus barely caught it.

Magnus had never used a flail before. The only weapon he’d used before was a dagger, and it hadn’t been in a fight. But he wasn’t backing down.

“I’m warning you, I’ve been training to kill since birth.”

“Yeah? Well, how long have you been training to be a brat?”

“You can't talk to me like that!”

“Oh, sorry. How long have you been training to be a brat, sire?” Magnus had barely gotten those words out before Jace swung his flail, the ball heading straight towards Magnus’ head. Magnus ducked quickly and avoided it by a few inches. Once he stood safely again he tried to swing his own at Jace’s legs, but he didn’t have much control of it and Jace avoided it easily. There was a crowd gathering around them, it wasn’t every day you saw the prince fighting someone in the middle of a market. Magnus hated that, he had no idea how to fight and now he also had so many people watching.

He was driven back by Jace, but soon he would hit a wall or a booth, and he wouldn’t have anywhere to go. Would Jace really kill him, or just throw him in jail again? Goddamnit, he’d promised Luke to stay out of trouble.

Magnus had to do something, he couldn’t lose this fight. He looked around at his surroundings, what could he use? There, a discarded rope on the ground. No one would notice if he just raised it a little bit from the ground, just enough to make Jace trip. Magnus had barely had the thought before it happened. This could actually work. While Jace was out of focus Magnus looked around for the next thing he could use as he threw a blow at Jace. He missed by barely an inch.

By the time Jace had gotten up again, Magnus had moved a box, just a little bit, to lay in Jace’s way. It wasn’t a big hindrance, but it was something. _This is actually going pretty well,_ Magnus thought. He immediately took it back as Jace’s spiked ball missed his face by inches. Magnus tried to swing his again, but it got stuck in something hanging down from one of the booths, and Magnus had to leave it to avoid Jace’s next blow. He took two quick steps back, and now it was Magnus’ time to stumble as he fell into a haystack.

Magnus saw Jace’s triumphant look, he thought he’d won. No, it’s not that easy. There were a few chains hanging just a little bit away from where Jace was swinging his flail. The chains tangled themselves around the weapon, and while Jace was trying to get it out Magnus got up from the haystack and got his own flail free from where it had been stuck. Now he had the upper hand. He swung his flail at Jace again, and now _he_ was driving _Jace_ backward. He moved an empty bucket and Jace fell backwards.

Magnus had pretty much won now, right? Jace was down, and he wasn’t making any move to get up. Magnus looked out on the crowd, there were people there cheering for him like this was all a game. But he saw a familiar face. Luke. Luke and his disappointed look. He wanted to go to him, say sorry, promise he wasn’t going to do it again. And he would have, if it wasn’t for Jace who hadn’t given up yet. While Magnus was distracted he’d gotten up and snuck up behind him, and now it was no challenge to take Magnus down.

“Cheater,” Magnus said from where Jace had thrown him to the ground. Not that he had any right, he had been using magic through the entire fight.

“Idiot,” Jace replied. He was already calling on the guards again. They were going to take him. Again. God, how could he have been so stupid? Again.

“Wait!” A voice said. A voice Magnus hadn’t heard before.

“What now, Alec?” Jace asked a tall, dark and _handsome_ man. Very handsome. But Magnus couldn’t think about that now.

“Are you really going to do this again, Jace?” The man, Alec, asked. “No, go away,” He told the guards approaching Magnus. Why did they listen to him, who was he?

“Come on, Alec! Why are you protecting him? He’s an idiot.” Wait, Alec? As in Alexander? As in the future king?

“Yeah, he is. But he’s a brave one. And Luke needs him. Also, you see how throwing him in prison worked out last time, so why do it again?”

“I can’t believe this!” Jace exclaimed before storming away. At the same time, Alexander approached Magnus. The future king. Was approaching Magnus. And Magnus was staring.

“Hey, um, are you alright?” Alexander asked. He gave Magnus a hand that Magnus gladly took and pulled him up.

“Uh, yeah. Thank you.” Magnus said. “Sire,” He added quickly as he remembered who he was talking to. Who’s hand he was still holding even though he really didn’t have to.

“No, no, don’t call me that. Alec is fine,” Alec said with a smile.

“Erm…. If you insist” said Magnus and smiled slightly. He realized that he was still holding his hand and he knew he should let go, but he didn’t want to. Just for a few more seconds. He looked into Alec’s eyes. They were a beautiful shadow of hazel, and Magnus thought he could stare at them forever without getting tired.

The moment was interrupted by Luke’s sharp voice. “Magnus!” Magnus looked away from Alec’s eyes and quickly let go of his hand.

“Y- yes?” Magnus said, slightly scared. He knew Luke wasn’t mean, but he was mad. Magnus had disappointed him, and there would be some kind of consequences, he was sure of it.

“Come on, we’re going home,” Luke said, not leaving any room for discussion. Magnus gave Alec an apologetic look before going after Luke.   
“I’m sorry. It wasn-”

“I don’t want to hear it!” said Luke and interrupted Magnus’s apology. “Twice, in less than a week! I don’t care who started it, or what he said or did. What if someone saw that you were using magic?”

“How did you know?”

“Because I saw it! What if someone else was paying attention? Buckets don’t move by themselves, Magnus. I want you to promise me that you’re never going to use magic, ever again.”

“I can't promise you that,” Magnus said. He didn’t beat around the bush, didn’t think it through. He couldn’t do that, he just couldn’t.

“You have to! Everyone manages to live their life without magic, you can too.”

“No, you don’t understand! I was moving things with my mind before I could walk. My magic is the only thing I know will always be there, it’s the only thing I can really rely on, it’s a part of me! If I can’t use magic then I might as well die.” Magnus realized just then that it was true. All the times he’d told himself he didn’t need the magic, that he wasn’t going to use it, he knew it wasn’t true. Using magic was like breathing, and if he stopped using it, it would be like stop using a fully functional arm or a leg. And Magnus would rather die than stop using the only thing that felt right. Luke seemed to have been rendered speechless. He was looking at Magnus with a look he couldn’t quite place, was it worry? Sorrow? Whatever it was Magnus couldn’t stand to look at it. He turned around and went to his room, closing the door behind him.

He lay down in his bed, he didn’t have much else to do. He thought about reading a book, but he didn’t find the energy to. He must have fallen asleep, cause the next thing he remembered Luke was shaking him awake.

“Sit up,” Luke said, “We have to clean those wounds before you get an infection,” Luke had brought a cloth and a small bucket of water, along with a few vials. “Take your shirt off,”

It went pretty quickly. Magnus had actually avoided seriously getting hurt, just a few scrapes and cuts here and there. Most of them were on his back, from where Jace had repeatedly thrown him onto the ground. Magnus didn’t say a single word as Luke did his work. Only when Luke was done and on his way out did Magnus speak up.

“Why am I like this?” He asked. “Why do I have this power? Why me?” Luke looked at Magnus with a sad look.

“I don’t know.” He said. “But I know that nothing happens without a reason. This magic, whatever it is, it’s part of your destiny.”

“I don’t want this destiny! I just want to live my life without the constant fear that I might get executed for doing something as natural to me as breathing. I don’t want any of this.”

“You can’t choose your fate, Magnus.”

“Luke,” Magnus said, ignoring Luke’s words. “Do you think I’m a monster?”

“What! Of course not,” Luke exclaimed. “You’re different, Magnus. And maybe not the best kind of different in your situation, but don’t ever think you’re a monster. You are meant for great things, Magnus. Good things. I can feel it.” It was silent for a while as none of them said anything. “Go to sleep now, it’s getting late,”

 

* * *

 

 _This man was such an idiot,_ thought Alec as he looked after Luke and the man following him. _But such a handsome idiot._ Alec knew it was stupid of him to think that but he couldn’t help himself. He watched them for as long as he could before he decided to go back to the castle.

There had been people watching. Alec had only realized that after they both were long gone. There had been people watching when Alec helped him up, held his hand and stared into his eyes until Luke had interrupted them. What was it he had called him again? Marius, no. Marcus? No, it wasn’t that either. Magnus! So that was his name, Magnus. Alec liked the sound of it, it was a beautiful name. _Beautiful name for a beautiful person,_ his brain supplied. _Stop it,_ he shot back at himself.

Here he was, again. Roaming through the hallways thinking about him. Magnus. Maybe he should order something from the medic and hope that Magnus would deliver it? What could he possibly need, what would be believable? Maybe he could just go there one day, ask for Izzy’s sleeping potion, say she was out. And hope Magnus was there.

This was ridiculous, how could Alec be so smitten after half a conversation? And a lot of admiring from afar. And how could he even be thinking about meeting Magnus again? He should be staying as far away from him as possible, to make sure he didn’t do anything he might regret. Or at least not anything his father might not like. Like having a crush on a boy. But he was already guilty of that if he was being honest.

“Alec! Where have you been all day?” Izzy’s voice shook him out of his thoughts.

“Nowhere,” Alec said, “I’ve just been… you know… hanging around,”

“Hanging around?” Izzy raised an eyebrow at him. “Since when do you _hang around_?”

“I also spent some time training, and I went to a meeting,” Alec added, he tried to think of everything he’d done that day that didn’t include Magnus. Izzy looked doubtfully at him before breaking into a grin.

“Okay, who is it?”

“Who is what?” Alec said innocently. He knew there was no point, Izzy wouldn’t let it go, but he really didn’t want to talk about it. Especially not in the hallways where anyone could overhear them.

“Drop the act, Alec. Tell me!”

“Okay, okay! But not here. Come,” he said and pulled her with him to his chambers. No one would interrupt them there. Izzy sat down on his bed and looked excitedly at him.

“So, who is she?” She asked.

“It’s not a-”

“Alec! You said you would tell me,”

“Yeah, well you’re gonna have to listen,” Alec said slightly annoyed.

“But you were saying it wasn’t anyone,” Izzy accused him.

“No, Izzy, listen,” Alec took a deep breath. “It’s not no one, but it… it’s not a she,” he mumbled. Izzy looked confused for a few seconds before it dawned on her.

“Is it… is it a he?” She asked. Alec nodded slowly and looked away. He wasn’t sure how she would react, and he didn’t want to know what he would see if he looked into her eyes. Isabelle didn’t say anything, but she stood up. For a second Alec thought she was going to leave, but then she embraced him in a hug, and he sighed in relief.

“So that’s why you don’t want to marry any of the princesses father introduces you to!” Izzy said when she pulled away. Alec chuckled.

“Yeah,” he mumbled and then sighed. “More or less… I mean I know I have to marry one eventually, but… I can’t get …. _him_ out of my mind, and I think it’s driving me crazy”

“Who is he? Your boyfriend? Do I know him?”

“No no no, he’s not, and you don’t know him. I… He just moved here less than a week ago. I haven’t even had a proper conversation with him! I don’t know why I’m feeling like this, it’s stupid.”

“It’s _not_ stupid, Alec. Don’t ever say that. You’re having feelings, you’re being human, there’s nothing stupid about that.”

“But I don’t even know him. I only know his name because I heard Luke call for him,”

“Do you believe in love at first sight, Alec?”

“Do you?”

“No, not love. But feelings, attraction, curiosity, want, I believe in those at first sight. And… I also believe in fate, and that everything will work out like it’s supposed to,”

“So… what you’re saying is, if it’s meant to be it’ll happen?” Alec questioned.

“No, I’m saying that if that’s what you want, then go for it. And if it’s not meant to be, you’ll at least have given it a shot.” Alec smiled down at Isabelle.

“When did you get so wise?”

“I’ve always been this wise,” she answered playfully. “Now you better do something about that boy, or I’ll come and kick your ass.”

“I can’t Izzy. He’s a guy and father would kill me if he found out,” he told her.

“Who cares about dad! This is your life, Alec, you can’t let someone else control it. But if you’re really scared you can just keep it a secret until you’re ready,”

“But what if he’s not… you know… like- like me?”

“Gay?” Alec winced at the word.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Well, you won’t know until you ask him.” She made it seem so easy, was it really just like she said?

“It is much harder than it seems when you say it,”

“That’s normal, Alec. You’re scared, it’s natural. You just have to go on in spite of it, be brave. I know you can,”  

“You have too much faith in me,”

“And you don’t have nearly enough,” She replied. Just then there was a knock on the door.

“Are you in there, Sire?” A voice said. One of the servants.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Your father has requested your presence in a meeting,” Alec looked down at Isabelle.

“Sorry,” he said, “duty calls.” Their conversation was not over, Alec knew that. Izzy would not give him peace before he did something about Magnus. But Alec needed to think, alone. And this meeting would be a good excuse to do so, as he usually didn’t participate a lot anyway, no one would notice if he was buried deep in his thoughts.

 

 

* * *

 

Morning came around a lot quicker than Magnus would have liked it to. He felt like he’d barely slept a minute. But the sun was shining in through the window, and the smell of breakfast was coming from the door.

Magnus got dressed and went to see if he could help with anything before he was sent away with whatever it was he had to deliver today. “Hey,” he said to Luke.

“Hey,” Luke said back. He sat down at the table and Magnus did the same. “I’ve rescheduled your meeting with sir Elemar. You’ll be meeting him at the castle later today to give him the painkillers. _Please_ don’t get into trouble today,” Magnus nodded but didn’t say anything. He was buried deep in his thoughts, and only spoke up when they were both almost done eating.

“Why was magic banned?” He asked. Luke froze in the middle of a movement. He got a thoughtful look on his face, and he didn’t say anything for a while.

“20 years ago, before you were born, there was a war raging. The war had already been going on for two decades. It wasn’t even a proper war, it wasn’t one side against the other. It was everyone against everyone. And magic, people used it for awful things. Torture, murder, kidnapping, the people back then crossed every line there was to cross. The power of magic drove some of them insane, good people did bad things. Robert was king at the time, but he had no power. His hand were tied, he couldn’t do anything without risking himself, his son, or his wife.” Luke got a sad look on his face. “After the war had been going on for over twenty years Robert finally had enough. He asked me to take Maryse and Alexander out of the city, out of the kingdom, that's when I met your mother. Then, Robert set down his laws. Magic was banned, the dragons were killed, and so was anyone who used magic. It worked, the kingdom became peaceful. When I returned with Alec and Maryse everything was different. The streets were calm, the people were safe. Robert did a good thing when he banished magic, even if it doesn’t feel like it.”

“But didn’t the queen die?”

“She did, she was killed a few years later by a wizard, desperate for revenge after his own wife was executed.” A few more silent minutes passed.

“What did you say about dragons?” Magnus asked after he’d gone through the whole story in his head.

“They were killed. All except one, who was locked down in a cave to stand as an example.”  
“But why did he kill the dragons?” Magnus wondered. Luke looked at Magnus carefully, like he was scared he might say something wrong.

“There are some people, they’re called dragonlords. It is said that dragonlords are the descendants of Asmodeus, one of the prince’s of hell, and that the power is passed down by the generations. Dragonlords have the ability to talk to dragons, summon them, control them. But a dragon being controlled by a human is like a torch being controlled by an ant. It’s playing with fire, and it gets out of control before you’ve even started. The city you know today is completely different from what it was 20 years ago. Only two of the towers remain from that time. So Robert had the dragons killed, he blamed them just as much as he blamed the dragonlords.”

“That’s awful,” Magnus said. He could imagine the city burning, dragons terrorizing people, warlocks, wizards, and magicians putting up curses. It sounded like a nightmare. Maybe king Robert hadn’t been so wrong about banning magic. But that was twenty years ago, right? Things were different now. Magnus told Luke so.

“That’s easy for you to say, Magnus. You were born after the war was over, and far away from where it took place. Maybe things change, maybe people are better now, but that doesn’t change what had happened. Maybe when Alexander becomes king he will change the rules, he was just an infant in the time of the war, but Robert isn’t gonna change. He’s bearing too many painful memories for that.”

“What about you? You don’t seem to mind my magic, but you were alive at the time too, right?”

“I was. But I knew magic before the war. What wonders magic could do. Robert, he only really encountered  magic during the war, only saw the horror and fear it could induce.” Luke said. “But enough about that, you need to go if you’re gonna meet sir Elemar in time.”

 

* * *

 

The meeting had been boring but luckily for Alec it had been over soon and after a quick bath he had gone to bed. He woke up a few times in the middle of the night because of his dreams and he cursed every time but in the end he did get enough sleep to survive the next day, which arrived way too early. But maybe he would see Magnus again.

That was the thought that finally drove Alec out of bed. He was probably gonna be late for breakfast, but he was sure no one would mind, he would just grab some leftovers from the kitchen. No one would even notice he hadn’t been there.

Except for Izzy, who pretty much attacked Alec after he turned a corner. “Where were you?” She asked.

“I was sleeping…” Alec answered.

“You slept in? Since when do you sleep in? Were you out tonight? Did you go see him?”

“By the angel, Izzy, no! I didn't go anywhere, I just didn't sleep very well tonight. I was thinking.”

“About him?”

“Do you really need to ask that?” Magnus was all Alec thought about. “I was gonna get some food down at the kitchen, wanna come with me?” Alec said, changing the subject completely. Izzy took the hint.

“Sure. I don't have anything else to do anyway,” she said. They walked in silence, neither of them could think of anything to say. Until Izzy remembered the banquet.

“It’s tomorrow, Alec! And I haven't picked a dress yet! You have to help me with it later.”

“I thought that was Clary’s job,” Alec said.

“No, her job is to help me get dressed. Helping me decide what to get dressed _in_ is her being a friend. But I let her take the day off today. She's having some family trouble, and I can manage a day without her around. So that leaves you to help me.”

“I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?”

“Nope,”

“That's what I thought,” God, this was going to be a long day.

 

* * *

 

 

Magnus did make it in time to give sir Elemar the painkillers and then left the palace to head back to Luke. He passed a lot of servants on his way who all looked very busy. Magnus wondered what was going on that caused so much action. He decided to ask Luke when he got back.

“Magnus! There you are, I need you to go get me some herbs from Catarina,” Luke said as soon as Magnus stepped through the door.

“Catarina? Why would she have herbs?” Catarina had never mentioned that she worked with medicine, only that her father was a blacksmith.

“Her mother plants the herbs I need, and Catarina said she could give you some if you passed by there,”

“Oh,” was all Magnus said as Luke handed him a list. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, what is it?”

“What’s going on in the castle? Everyone seemed really busy,” Magnus asked.

“Right! The banquet, I had almost forgotten.”  
“What banquet?”

“The king is holding a banquet to honor a singer that's coming, Mrs. Alina Dark. Well, that’s the official reason but the truth is that he is trying to set his son up with some princess.”

“I can’t imagine who’d possibly want to marry Jace,” Magnus snorted.

“Not Jace, Alexander,”

“He’s trying to find Alec a wife?” Magnus hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Yes, is that a problem?” Luke asked suspiciously.

“N- no. Not at all. I was just… surprised,” the truth was Magnus hadn’t managed to stop thinking about the future king ever since their small interaction. There had been lots of other things on his mind, but Alexander always made his way to the spotlight. But of course he was marrying a girl. He was the future king, and he was straight, there was no point in even thinking about him.

“Speaking of the banquet, you’re gonna have to be there.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because Robert invited me, and you. And you don’t say no to the king.” The king had invited Magnus? How did he even know about him? Except for that fact that he’d tried to punch his son…

“Is Jace gonna be there?” Magnus asked anxiously. He was trying to avoid Jace, to not get into another fight. But if Jace was there and they made a scene at the banquet… Well, that would certainly be embarrassing and should be avoided at more or less all costs.

“He will. But he’s not gonna do anything, not in the castle. But I’ll be keeping an eye on both of you anyway.” Weirdly enough, that made Magnus feel safer. “Now, about those herbs, I would like them today,”

“Right! Yes, sorry. I’m going,”

“Hurry up!” Magnus could hear Luke laughing as he hurried out of the house, on his way to Catarina’s.

 

* * *

 

“This one is really nice,” said Alec when Izzy move out from behind the folding screen in a light blue dress.

“You’ve said the exact same thing about the last three dresses, Alec. I need your help. Which one is the best?” she asked.

“I don't know! You look good in all of them. The first one was a bit too revealing though, so not that one.”

“Really, Alec?”

“You asked for my opinion!” Izzy huffed and went to change dress _again._ Alec had lost count of the amount of dresses she had tried, he didn't know how someone could even _have_ that many dresses. Or why.

“What about this one?” Izzy asked as she stepped out again.

“Looks good,”

“Yes, I know that, but does it look better or worse than the last ones?” Alec made an exasperated sigh.

“Better, I guess,” the dress was beautiful. It was long, down to her ankles, so Alec didn't have to worry about that. It was a dark purple color, which brought out Izzy's dark eyes. The sleeves ended just below her elbow, and the sleams were rimmed with gold. The v-neck wasn't too revealing, so it was ok for boys to be around her.

“You know what, that one is perfect, wear that one,” Alec said before she had the chance to try another one. This one was beautiful, not too revealing, and it suited her. Also, Alec was tired of giving advice on something he knew nothing about.

“Are you sure? I have a few more I can try on…”

“Really, Izzy. I'm not just saying this because I'm tired of watching you try on dresses,” _although that is one of the reasons,_ “you really look good in this one. I think you should wear it.”

“Okay, I guess it's been settled then, now what about you?”

“Me? I was just going to wear my usual…”

“Alec! Those silly royal clothes and a cape? You can't wear that to every happening!”

“Why not?”

“Because they don't look good, Alec. You helped me choose my clothes, so now I'll help you choose yours.”

“It's fine, Izzy, I really don't need your help-”

“You don't have a choice,” Izzy interrupted. “Come on, let's go,” she was already pulling him along to his own room. She made a disappointed sound when she opened his wardrobe. “The only thing with color here is your cape!” She exclaimed.

“What do you have against black?

“Nothing! I love black, but not _just_ black.”

“Well, I only have black, so you're gonna have to deal with it. Or you could just let me pick…?”

“Hah, good try. I guess I'm gonna have to work with what I have, then. But you're definitely wearing the cape, we need some color.” Izzy started looking around in the closet, mumbling things to herself. “Not this, no, no no no. Definitely not this. God, is this even a shirt? It looks like a dead raccoon.” Alec wasn't expecting her to find anything she might like in there, he didn't have any clothes that agreed with her style. “One would think you would have more space for clothes in here after you came out,” Izzy said jokingly. Alec chuckled.

“Sorry to disappoint,” he said.

“Wait, what are these?” Izzy asked suddenly, noticing something at the very bottom of the closet. She pulled out a pair of pants. Tight leather pants. Alec had used them once and then hidden them away.

“No. I'm not wearing that in front of people.”

“But Alec! They're perfect! Please, for me?” Oh God, those puppy eyes. Alec couldn't resist them, he knew there was no point in even trying. But he did anyway.

“Fine,” he eventually said with a sigh. He still wasn’t convinced but when Izzy insisted on something and gave him that look, he almost always gave in.

“Yes! Thank you. Now, a shirt.” By the angel, Alec wasn't going to survive the next day.

 

* * *

 

Magnus had been told pretty clearly that he could absolutely _not_ wear day to day clothes to the banquet. Magnus had protested that he didn't have anything else to wear, and just a few hours later Luke had arrived with clothes for Magnus. Formal clothes, the kind of clothes you wear when you're going to the king's banquet.

“Where did you get those?” Magnus asked.

“An old friend of mine has her nephew staying over. He's about the same size as you, so I asked if I could borrow some clothes.”

“And she just gave them to you? These are some good clothes,”

“She's a really good friend. Now get ready, the banquet is in two hours!” so Magnus went to get ready. The clothes mostly fitted, the sleeves were too short and the pants a little tight, but all in all they fitted.

They still had over an hour to burn when he was done, so he and Luke sat down and talked. Magnus liked talking to Luke. He wasn't sure if he viewed Luke as a friend or as a father figure, but either way, he enjoyed spending time with him, talking to him. Luke knew so much! He had the answer to almost every question Magnus had ever asked himself. Except for the ones he wanted answered the most. But Magnus couldn't blame Luke for that. No one knew the answers to those questions.

“Magnus?”

“Hm, yeah. I'm listening.”

“You're clearly not. I said we're going. The banquet starts soon,” Luke opened the door and motioned for Magnus to hurry. Magnus followed him out and stayed close by as Luke made his way to the castle. Magnus had gotten pretty good at navigating through the many floors and hallways on the few days he'd been there, but the room they were going to now was new, and Magnus wanted to make sure he didn't get lost. When they reached the ballroom Magnus was speechless, it was huge and beautifully decorated. There were two enormous tables there filled with food, and one smaller table standing on a small podium, in front of four big chairs. Magnus assumed that was where the king and his children would sit. Alexander, Jace, and Isabelle.

Magnus realized he hadn't met Isabelle yet, not even seen her. He wondered if he would meet her here. And if he would see Alexander again, those hazel eyes and that beautiful body. He momentarily forgot about the man of his dreams as he heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, Magnus!” He turned around.

“Clary, hi!” He said.

“Magnus, I have to introduce you to my friend, Simon,” she said, waving a boy over to them, “Magnus, this is Simon. Simon, Magnus,” Clary introduced them.

“Hi Simon,” Magnus said.

“It's you!” Was Simon's reply. Magnus frowned.

“Umm, what?”

“You're that guy, from five days ago! You stood up to Jace.”

“Uh, yeah. That was me.” Magnus looked closer at the guy. Did he know him from somewhere?

“You probably don't remember, but I'm the guy you pretty much saved from a painful death,” so that was why his face seemed familiar! Magnus had been a little too busy with Jace to look at anyone else, but now that he mentioned it he did recognize Simon. “Thank you,”

“You-you're welcome,” Magnus said awkwardly. He wasn't expecting this.

“Anyway,” Clary said, breaking the awkward silence, “there's something over here you _have_ to try, Magnus. These cookies are the best in the entire kingdom…”

  


* * *

 

Alec was staring. He admitted it. He was sitting in a corner of the room, and Magnus had just entered.

Alec had not been aware that Magnus was going to be at the banquet, and he had not prepared himself. In his defense, Magnus was wearing clothes that did not look like they were his. The pants were tight, by the angel, they clung to his skin perfectly. And the shirt, it didn’t leave much to the imagination.

Alec followed the man with his eyes, watched as he talked to Clary and then Simon, and even though Alec was in love with his face he totally did not complain when he turned around to follow Clary and Simon to one of the tables.

Alec took a glass from one of the servants passing around with them and downed it in one go. He didn’t stop to check what it was, but it burned. That was good, Alec needed a distraction, or he wasn’t going to survive the night.

“What’s going on, brother?” Izzy asked lightly as she sat down beside him. Alec shook himself out of it and gave his now empty glass to another bypassing servant.

“Nothing, just sitting here. Trying to avoid everyone so no one sees me in these clothes,” Alec said, referring to the tight leather pants and the two open buttons on his shirt. Izzy had forbidden him from closing them, and Alec didn’t want to disappoint her.

“No, that’s not it. You looked like you were drooling and then you emptied an entire glass of champagne in one go. What is it?” Alec’s eyes flashed over to where Magnus was now eating cookies while talking to Clary. Izzy followed his eyes.

“Oh my god, is that him?!” Izzy asked excitedly when her eyes landed on Magnus.

“Do you mind saying that a little louder? I don’t think he heard you,” Alec said with an eye roll, despite the blush on his face.

“He is _hot,”_ Izzy said.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Alec sighed.

“You should go talk to him!” She said like it was obvious.

“Here? With all these people here?”

“Yes.”  
“But anyone could see. And I would make a fool of myself.”

“What makes you think that?”

“What exactly would I say? ‘Hey, we haven’t really talked except for that one time I held your hand and stared into your eyes for way longer than necessary, but I like you. You can’t say anything to anyone though, cause I’m not out yet and my father would kill me if he knew.  But hey, you do want to go out with me?’”

“Oh, don't be so dramatic! Just ask him about some normal stuff, why he moved here or something like that.”

“Yeah, no. Maybe later,” Alec said.

“You are so stubborn…” the rest of Izzy's sentence was interrupted by their father approaching them with a woman by his side.

“Great,” Alec mumbled. The last thing he needed now was his father trying to get him a wife.

“Alexander,” Robert said as he was within hearing range. “May I introduce you to Kaelie Whitewillow, representative of the Seelie Realm.” Alec stood up to greet her, as he always did. He plastered a fake smile on his face and said in the sweetest voice he could muster,

“Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Whitewillow,” Alec took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles softly. A routine embedded into his mind ever since his father started looking for a wife for him. That was all those princesses were to Alec, routines. Meet, flirt, chat, part ways, go drown in self-pity. They were also a reminder. Never letting Alec forget about what he had to do, what was expected of him.

“I'll leave you two alone then. Walk with me, Isabelle. Will you?” Robert asked. Izzy mouthed a “sorry” at Alec before going with him. Alec looked over at Kaelie and forced himself to smile.

“I'm gonna be very honest with you right now,” Kaelie said as soon as Robert and Izzy were out of hearing range. “I have no interest in getting married to you, I'm just here because the queen sent me, and honestly, I think I would prefer your brother.” Alec had heard that the people from the Seelie Realm didn't lie, but he had not expected this.

“Oh,” Alec said, surprised. “Good, then I won't have to pretend. I'm sorry about my father, he's desperate to get me a wife.” Alec took two more glasses from a servant passing with a tray and offered one to Kaelie. She took it gladly.

“I understand. How about we save both of us the pain of acting and just part ways immediately?” Kaelie suggested.

“Good idea,” Alec agreed. This was new. Never in his years of meeting women had this ever happened. Not that he was complaining, as soon as Kaelie was out of view he sat down again and started searching for Magnus. He was standing by another table now, talking to a woman Alec knew from somewhere. The blacksmith’s daughter! That’s who she was. They seemed to be good friends if the way they were talking to each other was anything to go by. _Maybe even more than friends,_ a voice inside Alec’s head said.

“Shut up,” he told to himself.

“Can I have everyone’s attention please!” Robert’s voice came from where he was standing on the podium. The room fell silent. “If everyone could take a seat, Mrs. Alina Dark will be making her appearance soon,” He said before he sat down on his big throne. Alec had to sit on the chair next to him. In front of everyone. He would have to walk over there and sit down while everyone’s eyes were on him. _Well, better get it over with,_ he thought as he stood up slowly. He was so happy Izzy had him wear the cape, at least that way no one could see anything from behind.

Alec noticed Magnus sitting by Luke’s side, at the very end of the table. Close to where Alec would be sitting. God, it would be a victory just to get his eyes off him. Magnus looked up, and Alec found himself frozen as he was staring right into his eyes. He looked away quickly and shook himself out of it. _There are people watching, for god's sake!_ Alec could not _freeze_ because someone _looked_ at him. He was the future king, eye contact shouldn’t affect him like this. Alec kept walking, he looked straight ahead of himself and when he got to his chair he sat down without looking at anyone.

He did his best to not look at Magnus, but honestly, he only managed a minute before his eyes went there. He realized Magnus had been staring at him, but he looked away when Alec looked at him. How long had he been staring? Was it possible that he…? No, Alec discarded the thought immediately.

Magnus looked up again, and this time Alec didn’t look away. He met Magnus’ eyes, those deep brown eyes that Alec could stare into forever. Alec had been attracted to people before, but never like this. Alec felt like he had a connection with Magnus, like they’d known each other for months, or even years. Alec was attracted to Magnus, not just sexually, but in every single way he didn’t know was possible. It was like… like what Izzy had said, fate. But _fate_ had interrupted Alec from a chance to speak with Magnus thrice, so there were some mixed signals.

Alec realized he was still looking into Magnus’ eyes and looked away. He shouldn’t be looking at any man like that, especially with so many people around and his father sitting right by his side.

Just then Mrs. Dark finally came into the room. She looked right at Alec, and she smiled. It was just a flirtatious smile, but Alec couldn’t help feeling uneasy, like something about her was wrong. He shrugged the feeling off. She was just an ordinary woman, like everyone else.

She started singing, and Alec had to admit that she did have a beautiful voice. Her song didn’t have any lyrics, at least not in a language Alec understood. Alec started to feel sleepy, his brain was filled with mush. Surely, there would be no problem if he just laid his head down on the table and slept for a little bit…

 

 

* * *

 

Magnus had felt like something was wrong as soon as the woman started singing, but he discarded the thought and instead thought back on what had happened mere seconds ago.

The prince, Alexander Lightwood, had looked at him, had caught Magnus staring, and then he had stared back! And when Magnus looked up again their eyes had met, and Magnus has stared shamelessly at him, and he hadn't looked away. And just when Magnus thought he would have to look away from the intensity of it all Alexander looked away, and a second later Mrs. Dark had made her appearance.

Magnus looked up at Alexander now, expected to see him smiling at Mrs. Dark, or at least enjoying the music. Instead he saw him sleeping, like he had just passed out. Hadn't anyone noticed? Magnus looked around himself and was hit by a wave of panic. Everyone around him was asleep. Luke, Catarina, people Magnus didn't know, everyone was sleeping.

Magnus looked over at Mrs. Dark. She seemed to be glowing, a red energy surrounded her body, it gave Magnus chills. On an instinct Magnus stood up. First he was scared she would notice, but then he saw that her eyes were fixated on Alexander.

As Magnus watched she pulled a dagger out from the sleeve of her dress. By the angel, what was she doing? She was going to kill him, she was going to kill Alec. No. Magnus had to do something. What could he do? Mrs. Dark was coming closer and closer to Alexander, there was a chandelier right over her head. _Now!_ Magnus felt that rush he always felt when he used magic, and then the chandelier was falling, and the woman was being crushed under it.

As soon as she stopped singing people started to stir and wake up. Alexander was one of the first ones, and when he saw Mrs. Dark lying under the chandelier he stood up immediately, probably worried for her. But then she started to change, her beautiful body turned into something monstrous, something Magnus would have been happy to go his entire life without seeing. It looked like… like a demon. Alexander seemed to be frozen in place too, along with anyone else who had laid eyes on the thing in front of them. The thing that apparently wasn't dead. With what looked like a big effort, the thing got up enough to raise it's hand back and-

Time seemed to be going in slow motion for Magnus. He saw the dagger flying towards the prince, and before he could think he was running towards him. He felt the dagger graze his hair as he threw himself on Alec, knocking them both to the ground. The dagger was sticking out of the chair, where Alec's heart had been just a millisecond ago.

And now Alec was lying under him, a position Magnus had imagined so many times, but in such a different setting. Just thinking about it made Magnus blush, and he quickly got off the prince. “Sorry,” he said, his voice cracked slightly. Alec seemed to be dazed, he was looking between Magnus, the dagger, and the thing that had been a woman like he couldn't quite process what was happening. But Magnus's apology seemed to bring him out of his haze.

“What? What are you apologizing for? You just saved my life,” Alec exclaimed. Now that Magnus had a good look at him he could see that the two top buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, giving Magnus a small peak to his wonderful chest… _God, Magnus. Stop!_ Magnus scolded himself.

“You saved my boy's life!” The king said from where he was now standing. “You must be rewarded”

“Oh, no, it’s really not necessary…” Magnus started.

“Don’t be a fool! My debt to you must be paid back.”

“Well, I mean, if you insist…”

“Absolutely. You shall be rewarded with a position at the court. You will be prince Alexander’s private servant,” _What?! How was that a reward?_ Magnus was going to have to spend all his time around Alec? Did he have a say in this?

“Oh, I- I’m honored, but Luke…” Magnus started, but suddenly Luke was right by his side.

“Oh, don’t worry about me Magnus, I’ll manage,” He said. And Magnus couldn’t refuse the king, could he? And he would get to spend most of his time around Alec, but would that really be a good thing? He would be torturing himself, constantly around the person he so desperately wanted, knowing fully well he would never have him.

The king must have taken his silence as an agreement. “Good! I guess I’ll be seeing more of you then,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading, it makes me super happy.
> 
> Please, if you enjoyed it and want to show me, leave a kudo or a comment, they make my day!
> 
> Also, as usual, you can come talk to me on tumblr (sorry, I have no idea how to make that a link, but my url is catmrib) or send me a mail at catmribxwriter@gmail.com.
> 
> Bye, and thanks!


	3. The first day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus' first day as Alec's servant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again.
> 
> This chapter is shorter than the other ones since I've been pretty busy this week. But I hope you enjoy it anyway, and I'm gonna try to make the other one extra long to make up for it.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!

Magnus stood in the doorframe and looked at Alec, unsure about what to do next. The banquet had ended half an hour ago, and Clary had advised him to follow Alec so he could start his new position. As soon as the king had announced Magnus’s new work he had rushed over to Clary to get some useful tips and tricks as well as some more help. It had been interesting and he was sure that it would make his life easier but for the moment- He didn’t know what to do.

“You can come in, you know,” Alec said shyly. “It’s not dangerous in here,” he said it like a joke, but to Magnus it didn’t feel like it. Inside that room, inside the future king’s royal chambers, was the most sinful man Magnus had ever seen, and going in there, being around Alec, it was going to be dangerous for Magnus, for his heart.

“Uh, yeah… I know,” Magnus mumbled. He stepped through the door, into the room. He was inside the prince’s room. This was the last situation Magnus had imagined himself in when his mother had told him about Idris. “You know…” Magnus started. He hesitated with the continuation, but he really needed to get it out. “I come from a small village, a hundred people live there at most, and I never imagined myself in any kind of situation like this, around royalty. I have no idea how to act, what to do. Just, please don’t be mad if I do something wrong, and tell me what to do,” Magnus said. Then added, “And what to call you, cause I have really no idea,”

Alec chuckled. “Whatever you do, don’t call me sire. Or your highness. Alec is fine.” He said. “And about the rest… I’ll tell you what to do, and if I don’t tell you anything just do nothing. Or ask me.”

“Okay, I think I can manage that,”Magnus said and Alec smiled at him, he knew he should like as much as he did but he couldn’t help himself and smiled back.

“So… what happens now?” he asked.

“Now I was planning on going to sleep. You don’t really need to be around while I do that, so I think you’re dismissed,” Alec answered.

“There’s really nothing I can do?” Magnus asked, just to make sure. Clary had told him she helped Isabelle get dressed, both for the day and for bed. And even though Magnus would much rather undress than dress Alec, he really wasn’t going to complain.

“Yes, Magnus. I’m sure. I tend to get ready for bed by myself since I’ve been able to do that on my own. So you can go home and get some sleep.”

“Okay. What time do I have to show up tomorrow?”

“I usually start training at eight, but you don't have to be there for that…”

“What exactly are my tasks going to be?”

“I don't know! I've never had a servant before, I've never wanted one.”

“So why am I here?”

“Because my father is getting impatient, and he's starting to make my decisions for me. Soon enough he's gonna chose a wife for me too.” Alec sighed. “But anyway, I need to sleep, and so do you. You're dismissed,”

“Okay,” Magnus said this time. No point in fighting it if Alec didn't want him there. Alec didn't want him there at all, he'd said so himself. “See you tomorrow at eight,” he said and turned around to leave the room. “Out at the field or here?” he asked.  

“Ohh, um. Here. At eight.”

“Okay. See you and good night,”

“You too,” he heard Alec say as he closed the door. Magnus had expected Alec to want him near, maybe not the way Magnus wanted, but as a friend or a servant at least. But no, Alec didn't want him there at all. Magnus was just in that position because the king had decided that for him.

So Magnus went home, he'd started considering Luke's house that. He ignored Luke's call for him when he stormed into his room. By the angel, he was acting like an angsty teenager. He didn't even know Alec, this thing he was feeling wasn't heartbreak. It was just bottled up emotions finally getting out.

“Magnus?” Luke asked as he opened the door and looked inside. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? Maybe I could help” he said and stepped inside.

“No, it's nothing,” Magnus said. “Just some stupid feelings,”

“Magnus, there is no such thing as stupid feelings. Everything you feel, everything you think about, is valid. Whatever it is you're feeling, it's okay. And sometimes it helps to let it out,” Luke said and sat down next to Magnus on the bed.

“I guess you're right,” Magnus said. Luke usually was. But Magnus wasn't ready to come out, or tell Luke about what he felt for Alec. “It's just… it wasn't what I expected,” he said instead.

“I'm sure you'll get used to it, and it'll get better. Are you sure there's nothing else bothering you?” Luke asked after a moment of hesitation.

“Yeah, I'm just… tired.”

“Go to sleep then, you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow,” Luke said, although there was still some doubt in his face. Magnus just nodded and watched him leave the room before he turned around and lay down to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Alec had imagined something like this happening so many times, but now that it did it felt like a nightmare. Because in Alec’s dreams Magnus was there because he wanted to, because he liked being around Alec. But not in this reality, no. He was just there because Alec’s father had decided so. What should have been Alec’s decision, what Alec should have decided years ago.

But Magnus hadn’t been around all those years ago. Alec hadn’t wanted anyone at that time. But now he did, he wanted Magnus so desperately. But seeing Magnus stand there, waiting for Alec’s orders, Alec didn’t want it. Not like that! He wanted Magnus to spend time with him because he wanted to. He wanted Magnus to want him. But now he was going to have to spend pretty much all his time with him, so he would have to prepare himself, his heart, cause he could already feel it was on its way to get broken.

His thoughts flowed through his mind as he got ready for bed. He thought that Magnus could be doing this, Magnus could still have been there. If Alec hadn’t sent him away. He’d looked hurt, when Alec told him to leave. And he’d insisted on coming at eight, even when Alec told him it wouldn’t be necessary. Maybe he actually wanted to be around Alec… _Or maybe he's just trying to do his job right._ Alec didn't know what to think. He didn't want to think at all. He just wanted to sleep, to forget about all his troubles, maybe have a happy dream where his life was perfect. He knew he wouldn’t be able to though, he knew he probably wouldn’t sleep at all.

Alec laid down on his bed. It was so big, king sized. Alec had dreamed of having someone there with him, someone to wrap his arms around, someone to kiss. In some fantasies it had been Jace, in other's he'd force himself to imagine it was a girl, but now it was Magnus. Magnus was who  Alec wanted there, that Alec lusted after. Magnus who would never want Alec the same way Alec wanted him.

Alec wanted to punch something, shoot his arrows till his fingers bled. He’d had nights like this before, nights where he sneaked out of his room to take endless walks in the forest, just anything to get his mind off whatever was bothering him. When all he could feel was a bag under his knuckles, or the string from his bow, or the coldness of the wood that sent shivers down his spine. And only then could he forget what was on his mind, what was eating him up from the inside.

He tried to sleep. He knew he needed it. But seconds passed, and then minutes, and almost an hour and Alec was still awake so he got out of the bed. No point in being there if he wasn’t going to sleep. The bed felt too big, too cold. Alec wanted someone there with him to fill it, to warm it. But that wasn’t happening any time soon. And when it did it wouldn’t be what Alec wanted, it would be some random girl Alec didn’t know. Some girl Alec didn’t _want._

He opened a window and felt the cold night air hit his face. It was dark outside, only a few lights here and there. This was Alec’s kingdom. He was going to rule this city, these people. How could he be the leader of an entire kingdom? Alec couldn’t even control himself! Everyone expected so much of him, he felt the weight of it on his shoulders all the time, the burdens pulling him under, drowning him.

Was love too much to ask for? The one thing Alec wanted, to love and be loved. And he would never get it. Sure, he loved Izzy and Jace, but that wasn’t the kind of love he was craving, that wasn’t the way he wanted to love Magnus.

But there was no point in thinking about it. He didn’t love Magnus, he liked him, wanted him, but he didn’t love him. So he was going to pull through this, he was going to befriend Magnus, and be his _friend._ Like Clary was Izzy’s friend, that was the kind of relationship Alec was going to have with Magnus. It wasn’t what he wanted, but it could come to be what he wanted. Like with Jace, he didn’t want him anymore. Jace was nothing but a friend, a brother.

Alec looked down at the square under him, it was empty. He left the window to get dressed. Simple clothes, so no one would think about it if they saw him. Not particularly warm clothes either, the cold was a good distraction. It left Alec numb.

Alec checked that there was no one on the square again, just to be sure. And then he started his way down. He was on the third floor, but he had learned the way by heart, knew every stone and every windowsill. He could climb up and down this wall blindfolded.

Alec wasn’t sure where he was going, but he needed to get away. Away from the castle, from his responsibilities. He let his feet lead him. The guards by the gate paid no attention to the hooded man leaving. Alec spaced out while he walked, thoughts and memories flew in and out of his head, none of them staying long enough to be made sense of.

He ended up in a clearing. He’d been there lots of times before, it was like his own secret place. It was deep in the woods, a small clearing with a lake. Sometimes, when Alec needed to get away in the middle of the day he would ride here, swim in the water, and it would always calm him. There was a place in the middle of the clearing where Alec made a fire. He would sit there, endless days and nights, and he would talk. Not to anyone, just to whatever was listening. The trees, the birds, the wind, or the flames. And it would help him, to get all his thoughts out, to confess everything, it would take some of the weight off him. It was better than the alternative, which was training himself to exhaustion.

So that’s what Alec did now. He made a small fire, just to give a little light and warmth. And then he sat down and told the flames about everything that was bothering him. His father promising to find him a wife before the year was over, the tournament coming up in a few weeks, his father getting higher and higher expectations. Magnus.

He said everything he’d been bottling up, everything he had to hide from everyone, everything he so desperately wanted to change. He got it all out, and when he was done he felt like he could finally breathe again. He laid back in the grass and closed his eyes, and despite the chilly air and the hard ground, he fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

“ _Magnus_.” Magnus turned around in his bed. “ _Magnus._ ” He pressed a pillow over his ears. _“Magnus!”_ The deep voice tore him out of his sleep. Magnus looked sleepily around the room. There was no one there. He closed his eyes again, and just when he was about to fall asleep again it came. “ _MAGNUS!”_ Like a scream. Didn’t anyone else hear that? It was so loud, like it was _inside_ Magnus’ head.

“Where are you?” Magnus whispered.

“ _Magnus,”_ was his only answer. The voice didn’t have any source, it was just there.

“This is a dream,” Magnus told himself. He closed his eyes.

The voice didn’t disturb him again.

 

* * *

 

“Magnus!” Magnus was shaken out of his sleep by Luke. “Magnus, wake up,” Magnus groaned.

“What time is it?” He asked.

“Half past seven.” Suddenly Magnus wasn’t sleepy anymore.

“Half past seven?! I need to be in the castle in half an hour!” Magnus exclaimed, already getting out of bed.

“I’ve made breakfast for you,” Luke said as he left the room. Magnus got dressed in a hurry. He wasn’t actually in that much of a hurry, he only needed ten minutes to get ready and the castle was barely more than five minutes away. But he didn’t want to be late on his first day, he didn’t want to be anything even close to late. He wanted to be early, in good time. And he wanted to see Alec.

He stormed down to the living room, where Luke had placed some bread on the table.

“Hey, Magnus. Calm down, you have time,” Luke said when he started eating in a hurry.

“Yeah, I know. But I want to be sure I do everything right, I want to be there early,” Magnus said through bites.

“Okay, but eat slowly. It’s not good for you to eat so quickly.” Magnus slowed down his tempo a little bit, but not much. Luke sat down on the other side of the table and looked carefully at Magnus.

“What?” Magnus asked. Did he have anything on his face?

“Do you want to talk about anything from yesterday?” Magnus knew what Luke was referring to, but Magnus actually had something else to ask. Something that had been bothering him ever since the banquet.

“I do, actually,” Magnus said. “I… at the banquet, I was wondering… why was everyone affected but me? I mean, everyone, _everyone,_ was asleep, except me. Why?” Luke got that look again, the look he got when he was debating whether or not to tell Magnus something. The same look he’d gotten when Magnus asked about the dragons…

“I don’t know,” Luke said. Magnus didn’t believe him. “But Robert let me inspect the thing that did it. Turns out it was never a woman, it was an Eidolon demon.”

“A what?”   
“An Eidolon demon, a shapeshifter.” _Those actually exist?!_ Magnus had only heard legends, stories. His mother had told him about them, about demons, about Lilith, the mother of all demons, and Asmodeus, one of the princes of hell.

“Why would an Eidolon demon want to kill Alec?” Magnus asked.

“It was probably obeying orders. That’s what those demons do best.”

“So whatever sent it will send more?”

“I don’t know. Probably.” Luke got up from the chair he was sitting in and went to search the bookshelves for something. Magnus assumed their conversation was over, so he finished eating. He left a few minutes later, after cleaning up after himself and saying goodbye to Luke.

He still got to the castle five minutes early and made his way to Alec’s chambers quickly. He knocked on the door and heard a rustling sound. Seconds later the door was opened to reveal Alec. He was already fully dressed, but his hair looked disheveled and _was that a leaf?_

“Magnus, hi. Umm, yeah, right. Come in,” Alec said. He looked hesitant of letting Magnus in, but he stepped aside. “I’ll be ready to leave in a second,” Alec said as he moved to the closet.

Magnus looked around the room. He’d been there the day before, but he hadn’t actually looked at anything. But as he stood there awkwardly by the door he spotted what looked like an old cloak half hidden under the bed. He looked at the window, it was open, and there was dirt around it. And the leaf in Alec’s hair…

“Have you been out?” The question escaped Magnus before he could stop it. _Dammit,_ he scolded himself. He couldn’t just ask him that, he was the future king! Alec seemed to have frozen in the middle of a movement.

“N- no,” He said, his trembling voice did nothing to lessen Magnus’ suspicions.

“Yes, you have! Where were you?” _By the angel, stop it!_ What had gotten into him? He couldn’t do this, this could be considered treason!

“I haven’t been anywhere. And if I had it would be none of your business,” Alec said. He looked tense, and Magnus didn’t believe him. But he wasn’t going to insist, he shouldn’t have said anything at all.

“You’re right. Sorry, your highn- Alec,” Magnus caught himself. Alec had very specifically said to _not_ call him your highness.

“It’s fine.” Alec had found whatever it was he was looking for, and was now looking at Magnus. “You ready?” He asked. Magnus nodded.

“Wait,” He said when Alec headed for the door. He went up to Alec and tugged at his collar. Alec looked confused and scared,  and there was something Magnus could only identify as _hope_ in his eyes as he let Magnus pull him down.

Magnus picked the leaf out of his hair and combed his fingers through it a few times to make it look more presentable. Then he went to the window and threw the leaf out. He scooped up the dirt from the floor and threw that out too before closing the window.

“You really should cover your tracks up a little more if you don’t want anyone finding out. But don’t worry, wherever you’re going, your secret is safe with me,” Magnus said. He went to pick up the cloak and fold it before he put it away in the closet. Alec was looking at him in disbelief and... _disappointment?_ No, Magnus was reading him wrong, just like with the hope earlier.

“Oh… I… Thank you, you really didn’t have to…” Alec said, signaling at the window and the closet.

“Alec, I’m your servant. I know you’ve never had one before, and you don’t want one, but now I am yours, so I guess it’s best for us both to get used to it.”

“Who says I don’t want one?” Alec asked shocked.

“Uhm, you did. Yesterday, when I asked you exactly what my purpose was. You said you didn’t know and that you didn’t actually want a servant.”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Alec said quickly, as if to assure Magnus. It was too late for that, Magnus was already convinced he didn’t want him there, and that whatever he said now was just to make Magnus feel better. “I was tired yesterday, not thinking clearly. I snapped, and I took it out on the people around me, you,” Alec really did look sorry though. “I… you saved my life, and as a reward, you get to work for me. I don’t really understand how my father thinks. It’s not that I don’t want you here, I do. I Just… I think you deserve so much more than being a servant.

Now it was Magnus’ turn to look at Alec in disbelief. He didn’t see a single hint of lie on his face. “Sorry if I gave the wrong impression,” Alec ended. He was looking down at his shoes now, too shy to look Magnus in the eye. For some reason, Magnus found it adorable.

“Anyway, we should probably, uh, you know. Go,” Alec stuttered, pointing at the door.

“Right,” Magnus said with a smile. “We should.”

 

* * *

 

 

Alec showed Magnus how to hold and use a sword. He told Magnus it was necessary for him to know if he was going to be of any use while Alec trained. They spent almost an hour just to learn the basics, and Magnus was already exhausted. Then Alec pulled out a flail, and Magnus felt like he was going to die.

“You have a history with these, don’t you?” Alec said with a teasing smile.

“Please don’t remind me,” Magnus groaned. He looked over to where Jace was training. This time Simon was benched, Jace was training with some knight.

“Don't worry, I've told him not to make a scene,” Alec said when he followed Magnus’ eyes.

“For some reason, I have a feeling he doesn't listen to you,” Magnus mumbled. Alec chuckled.

“He usually doesn't, but I hope he does this time.” Alec started to show Magnus techniques in how to keep the flail under control, how to attack and block with it. Magnus might have enjoyed it if it didn't feel like his arm was going to fall off from exhaustion.

“How long do you usually do this?” Magnus asked when Alec gave him a minute to rest.

“Till midday, normally. And then I come back in the evening to do some archery,” Alec said before giving Magnus a once-over. “But we can stop now if you want,” he added.

“No, no. It's fine, just give me a minute.” Alec nodded and sat down too. Magnus had a feeling his arms wouldn’t be functional for the next few days.

 

* * *

 

Alec was sitting in a chair in his room. Magnus was leaning against the table.  

“Tell me again why this is so important?” Magnus said. He was looking down at the sword and the stone on the table.

“You told me you wanted to learn how to do everything servants are supposed to do. This is one of them.” Alec said.

“Yeah, I understand that, but this sword is already so sharp!”

“No, it's not. It just looks sharp.” Magnus sighed and got to work again. It had seemed so easy when Alec had shown him, but it wasn't easy at all. The sword was heavy, just like the ones they had practiced with earlier. Magnus groaned just at the thought. They had spent four hours practicing, first with swords, then the flails, and then later with staffs. Alec had been patient while he thought Magnus the basics, and he'd gone slow. At least he said he had, it didn't feel like it. Magnus felt like someone had beaten the crap out of him when they were done, but he insisted on not going home even when Alec told him he could. He wanted to do everything perfectly on his first day, he wanted to learn everything, and he wanted to spend more time with Alec.

 

* * *

 

Magnus collapsed into his bed. He was exhausted, sore, and hungry. But he didn't have any energy left to eat. He'd looked like a zombie when he got home, he hadn't even said anything to Luke, who had probably tried to talk to him. But Magnus hadn't heard him, he could only hear his own blood pumping in his ears.

“Magnus,” He heard him now though, and he felt an insistent hand shaking his shoulder. Magnus groaned and forced his eyes open. “You ok?” Luke asked.

“Mhm,” Magnus mumbled. “Tired,” he managed to get out.

“Well you need to eat,” Luke said. “Come on, no arguing,” he insisted. He pretty much dragged Magnus out of bed, pulled Magnus with him to the living room and sat him down in a chair. A bowl of something was placed in front of him, and without even looking at it, Magnus ate it. He could barely keep his eyes open, he felt like he could fall asleep right there.

When he was done Luke followed him back to the bed. He fell asleep moments later.

 

* * *

 

Alec was standing by the window again. Night had fallen, and the city was dark. He'd spent pretty much all day with Magnus, who had insisted on staying time after time. Alec had sent him away when he was about to get ready for bed. He didn't think he was ready to have Magnus dress him. Not yet.

Magnus had been excellent. Despite never having even held a weapon before, other than that fight with Jace, he learned quickly and got the hang of it almost immediately. He had relaxed more and more throughout the day, been less and less formal until he was treating Alec almost like a friend.

Alec had had a good day. He'd spent close to no time wondering how the hell he could ever manage to rule a kingdom, and more time just enjoying himself. Magnus had kept him distracted and busy. Alec hadn't worked out to be better, or to stop thinking, he did it to teach Magnus, and then because it was fun. Because of Magnus’ smile when he managed to block an attack or to get a blow at Alec. Magnus's small comments and jokes that somehow made Alec laugh every time. Magnus’ excitement to learn and explore. Everything had been fun because Magnus made it fun. _How can I be so smitten after such a short time?_ Alec wondered. _Fate,_ a small voice in his head said but he didn’t want to think too much about that, especially since this couldn’t be fate. Not with another man, the universe couldn’t be so cruel to him, to want him to be with Magnus when it was impossible as the future king. But for the night he could allow himself to dream about Magnus and the great day they’ve had.

Once Alec was ready for bed he laid down and quickly fell asleep, with a smile on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter done! 
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and leave a kudo or a comment if you want to. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the story, next chapter should be out in a week, but as usual, no promises.


	4. The tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tournament is coming. 
> 
> Alec shirts mysteriously disappear, and a certain sister is smirking from the distance.
> 
> Magnus learns more about himself and Alec.
> 
> I'm sorry, I'm awful at summaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: The rating on this just went from teen+ to Mature because Magnus is horny and Alec is hot, ok? If you don't like that you can just skip that part (it's not very long or explicit) or you can stop reading (please don't though). Either way, I'll just say right away that there will be more of stuff like that, so get ready.
> 
> Okay, now that that is over I can get to the other stuff I want to say; posting on Sunday has become a habit now, so there's probably gonna be a chapter every Sunday unless I'm very busy. 
> 
> I said last week that I would try to make this one a bit longer, and I did. Not much, but a bit. 
> 
> Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy and stay for the next chapters!

Magnus had been Alec’s servant for three days now, and the fourth day was about to start. They had a routine now, Magnus went to Alec’s chambers at eight, they went down to the field to train till midday, then it was time to stop by the kitchen to eat something. They spent a few hours doing whatever needed to be done, or just hanging around in Alec’s chambers, and then they went out to the field again for an hour or two with archery. During that Magnus mostly just watched, except for when he was collecting arrows. Then they parted ways, unless there was something important to be done. But now the routine was changing. 

There was a tournament coming up in a few days, and Alec wanted to spend more time training. He said he was going to start at six. He’d told Magnus to just meet him in the field at eight as usual, that he didn’t need to wake up earlier just to help him practice, but Magnus had insisted. So that was how he found himself in the empty corridors of the castle at six in the morning. It was still rather dark but by that time Magnus already knew his way around the castle, or at least he knew the way to Alec’s chamber. 

He knocked on Alec’s door and heard a “Come in” from inside. He opened it, entered the room and was met with a view so perfect it could only be a dream.

“I’m really sorry, I just can’t find a shirt anywhere. Give me a minute,” Alec said. He was standing by the wardrobe in only a pair of pants, and that chest Magnus had dreamt about so many times was on full display. Magnus had to force his eyes away when he realized he was staring.

“It- it’s fine,” He stuttered. “I’ll just, yeah. I’ll wait.” He managed to say. He was forcing himself to not look at Alec at all. The wall behind him was suddenly very interesting. Alec was back to searching the closet for something to wear, and Magnus could see the muscles on his back working.

“I swear, if Izzy has something to do with this…” Alec mumbled. He gave up after a few more minutes. “Hey, Magnus,” He said as he turned around to face him.  _ Oh god, he has abs.  _ “Can you go down to the laundry room and see if any of my shirts are there?” Magnus realized he hadn’t said anything for a while when Alec said his name again. “Magnus?”

“Hm, yeah, sorry. Zoned out,” Magnus said before nodding and leaving the room quickly. He had to get himself under control, he shouldn’t stare at anyone like that, and especially not the future king!

Magnus made his way to the laundry room. It was in the basement, so there were a lot of stairs. But Magnus was in a pretty good shape, and he had a feeling he would get even better after a few months as Alec’s servant. 

He found a shirt in the laundry room. He wasn’t sure if it was Alec’s, but it was black and seemed to be about his size. Magnus was about to leave the room when he heard something.  _ “Magnus,”  _ A deep voice said. Magnus had heard it before, but he couldn’t quite remember when…  _ “Magnus,”  _ It came louder this time, but still just a whisper. 

“I’m hearing things, this isn’t real,” Magnus told himself. The room was empty, pretty much the whole castle was asleep, there was no one there. Magus left the room and made his way back to Alec’s chambers.

“Thank you, Magnus,” Alec said when Magnus gave him the shirt. “I bet Izzy had something to do with this. She’s always threatening to throw all my shirts away, says they’re all ‘worn, faded, and ugly,’” Alec mimicked Isabelle.

Magnus chuckled at that and nodded a bit. “Well I wouldn’t agree with ugly, but worn and faded, I have to say I agree with her on that.” Alec huffed and put the shirt on.

“Maybe I like my shirts worn and faded,” He said. Magnus just shook his head with a smile and followed him as he headed for the field. 

“Okay, we’re gonna focus mostly on sword fighting today,” Alec said and handed Magnus a sword. “Ready?” Magnus nodded, and Alec started immediately. They were both going to be exhausted by the time they were done, Magnus could feel it already. The second day had been his worst, his arm had felt like it would fall off, especially when they trained again but now he was grateful because he felt a lot stronger already and his arm didn’t hurt anymore.

Alec was driving him even harder then he had the days before, quicker, stronger, less pauses. He was letting out everything he had. But Magnus was enjoying himself. When he first arrived in Idris the only way he could protect himself was with Magic, now he knew how to use lots of different weapons. He wasn’t very good with them, but he knew how to use them. And he had an excuse to stare at Alec, so where was the downside? Except for the exhaustion that came with the training of course... 

After a few hours of training, other knights came to the field too. Slowly the place started to fill up with people, and Magnus and Alec kept fighting. They were both sweating, breathing hard, and tired when midday came around. They’d only stopped a few times to drink some water during the six hours of training, and both of them were starving. 

They took some food from the kitchen and brought it with them to Alec’s room, where they both sat down with a sigh.  

“You’re getting better,” Alec said after a few minutes of silence. “At fighting.” He clarified.

“I have a good teacher,” Magnus said and smiled at Alec. Alec blushed and looked away, but Magnus saw the smile forming on his lips. They spent a few more minutes talking and eating.

“You can go home now if you want,” Alec said eventually. 

“Are you sure? I don’t really have anything to do at home, so I wouldn’t mind staying,” Magnus said.

“Yeah, I know. But I was just planning to go ask Izzy about my shirts right now, and then I was thinking about taking a nap…” 

“Oh, okay. What time do you want me to come back?” 

“Around five,” Alec said.

“Okay, yeah, sure,”  Magnus mumbled and nodded before he turned to leave the room. 

 

* * *

 

Alec watched Magnus leave the room before standing up himself. He had to find Izzy, he was sure she was responsible for the disappearing of his shirts. He went to look for her in her chambers first, but she wasn’t there. Next, he checked the kitchen and then the library. She wasn’t in any of those places. Alec roamed the halls in search for her, and he passed a window with a view to the field. 

“Of course,” He mumbled to himself. Despite their father’s protests saying no princess should fight like a man, Izzy always loved to be out in the field training with the knights. And she was good at it too, she could beat a fully armed knight with just her wip, and in high heels. Alec headed down to the field to talk to her.

“Izzy!” He yelled over the sounds of fighting. She disarmed the knight she was fighting before turning around to look at him. Alec waved for her to come over to him.

“What is it?” She asked. 

“I have to talk to you so please get over here,” he told her, annoyance clear in his voice.

“What happened?” She smirked. She knew what Alec wanted to talk about.

“Oh, don’t play innocent, I want my shirts back,” Alec said. 

“Your shirts? Why would I have them?” She asked innocently, that sweet smile that fooled everyone on her face.

“Izzy, please!”

“If all your shirts are gone maybe we should get new ones. I’ll come with you, of course, to make sure they’re not horrible.”

“I don’t want new shirts! I want my shirts back,” Alec insisted.

“You’re no fun,” Izzy sighed. “Okay, you’ll get your shirts back on one condition.”

“What?” Izzy got that evil smirk on face, the smirk that could mean nothing good for Alec.

“You get your shirts back if I get to decide what you’re gonna wear for the next week,” She said. Alec almost considered saying no, but he needed his shirts back. 

“Fine,” he sighed. “Fine, okay. Are you happy now?”

“Very. Now, I have to get back to my fight now, Raj doesn’t believe he can be beaten by a girl. I’ll see you later about your clothes!” She smiled at him before going back into the field. Alec sighed again.  _ How did I end up with a sister like this?  _ He asked himself.

He retreated to his room, he’d had enough of the field for a day. True to his word, he laid down to take a nap, and sleep took him almost immediately.

 

 

* * *

 

Luke was home when Magnus arrived. He was sitting in his armchair reading, a position you could often find him in when he wasn’t working. And sometimes even when he was, if he was looking for a specific recipe or ingredient. 

“Hey,” Magnus said, shooking Luke out of his book.

“Magnus! You’re home early,” Luke exclaimed when he saw him.

“Yeah, Alec was going to take a nap.” 

“Alec is taking a nap?” Luke asked in disbelief.

“Uhm, yeah… Is that unusual?” Magnus asked.

“Not if it had been any other person, but Alec… He’s finally starting to take care of himself.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, Magnus, that Alexander is a troubled person. There’s a lot of pressure on him, a lot of expectations. Expectations almost impossible to live up to. He used to train himself to exhaustion every day, practice with his bow till his fingers bled and Isabelle dragged him here to me. He’s starting to take care of himself, and I think you might have something to do with it.”

“Me? What do I have to do with it?” Magnus wondered.

“If there’s anything Alec needs, it’s a friend. Someone his age who doesn’t treat him like royalty, who isn’t a constant reminder of his duties. You might just be that friend, Magnus, that friend he so desperately needs.” Magnus didn’t know what to say, what to think. Was he really that important for Alec? After such a short time? Surely that friend had to be someone else…

“But anyway, I have something for you,” Luke said, interrupting Magnus’ thoughts. He stood up from where he was sitting and went to the bookshelves. He took a bunch of books out, like he was looking for something behind the books.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Magnus asked.

“Just a second,” Luke mumbled. He pulled a book out of the shelf, literally out of a small hole in the back of the bookshelf.

“What is that?” Magnus asked. 

“Come here,” Luke said. “This is a book, I don’t have any use for it anymore, I think you should have it.” Luke handed Magnus the book. It was beautiful, bound in leather, rimmed in gold. 

“This is a book of magic!” Magnus exclaimed when he saw the title. 

“Which is why you must hide it where no one can find it. You know what happens if someone does,” Luke told Magnus. Magnus nodded. He couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. He could finally learn how to control the power he’d been born with!

“Thank you, Luke. I will study every word!” Luke smiled down at Magnus and patted his shoulder.

“Remember, magic is an extremely unstable power. You need to be responsible with it, or it could get both you and other people hurt,” He said seriously. Magnus nodded.

He left for his room then, he had a few hours to find a good hiding place for the book, and maybe even read a few pages.

 

* * *

 

The day of the tournament had arrived. Lots of knights from neighbor kingdoms had come to participate, as the winner left with one hundred gold coins. Of course, that was only because Robert expected Alec to win. Alec had to win, he couldn’t disappoint his father. 

_ If only it was a shooting contest,  _ Alec thought. He was much better at archery than sword fighting, that was more Jace’s area. Alec preferred to eliminate the enemy before the enemy got a chance to attack. But that wasn’t happening here. The only thing allowed in the fight was armor, a sword, and a shield. 

“Alec? Alexander!” Magnus’ hand was waving in front of Alec’s face. “Earth to Alec,” Magnus said, trying to get contact.

“Sorry, I zoned out,” Alec said.

“You say. You looked like you were having an out of body experience. It’s almost your turn, get ready,” Magnus informed Alec. Alec sighed.

“Yeah, I’m going,” He said.

“Hey,” Magnus took Alec’s arm and gave it a little squeeze of encouragement. “You’re gonna do amazing out there, okay?” Alec smiled at him, and after a second nodded.

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

Magnus didn’t really understand the point of this. Sure, the winner got one hundred gold coins, but couldn’t they like… play chess or something? Sword fighting was necessary, sure, but to do it for fun? Magnus didn’t understand. 

But it didn’t matter. Magnus wasn’t competing anyway, so it didn’t really affect him much. Except for the fact that he would have to sharpen Alec’s sword, fix his armor, and polish his shield almost every day for an entire week. That was a small bummer. Magnus had not expected his job as a servant to be this hard. 

“Hey, Magnus!” Magnus turned around to the voice and immediately saw the red mop of hair heading his way.

“Clary,” He greeted her. “And Simon,” He added when he noticed him. 

“Alec is doing awesome out there,” Clary said.

“I really hope so. I did not train for six hours straight three days in a row for him to lose.” Both Clary and Simon chuckled, but Magnus was being serious.

“I heard there’s a knight from Edom coming, do you think it’s true? Someone said they saw him riding into the city.” Simon said.. “I mean, Edom is like another dimension, do you know anyone that has ever been there? Do you know anyone who knows anyone there? And what do we actually know about the place? I’ve checked every book I could find, and there are almost no facts about Edom.” 

“Simon, you’re overreacting, as usual. I get that you love stories and mysteries, but don’t make them up. Edom is a place, it’s on the map. And the knight you’re talking about is Malcolm Fade, he’s gonna compete in the tournament.” Clary said, always the one to keep Simon’s fantasy in check.

“How’s Jace feeling about being benched?” Magnus asked Simon, just to change the subject. There could only be one representative from each kingdom, and Alec had been chosen by Robert, to both his and Jace’s great dismay.

“He’s super annoyed about it, he’s constantly cursing Robert,” Simon said. “I’m just waiting for the day he understands I have nothing to do with it and stops taking it all out on me.”

“Jace is an ass.  _ I _ am just waiting for the day Alec gives me permission to drown him in the well,” Magnus said. He had actually thought about it, maybe not drowning him, but it had been hard for him to resist the urge to make Jace’s pants fall off while he was training. Oh, how fun that would be…

“He’s actually quite nice, after you get past all his walls. He just acts tough so everyone will think he’s strong,” Clary spoke up.

“How would you know? Do you spend much time with him?” Clary blushed.

“No… I just- I meet him around in the corridors from time to time.” Magnus raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything, Simon, however, had other plans. 

“Oh my god, Clary, Jace?!” Magnus zoned out of their conversation as they walked away, leaving him alone again. Although not for long. 

“Magnus,” Catarina said. She’d just been walking by when she spotted her friend. 

“Hey, Cat.” 

“How have you been? I’ve barely seen you these last few days, you guys were training non-stop,” She said.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“No, don’t apologize, it’s paying out well. Alec is doing excellent. But we should meet again sometime soon. I have to go now, but I’ll see you!” She said before hurrying away, not even giving Magnus time to say goodbye. 

 

* * *

 

Alec was tired. Not exhausted, but tired. He’d won all the fights this day, there were still five days left. And today he needed to attend the banquet in honor of the knights who continued to the next round. 

And the worst part was that Izzy was going to choose what he was going to wear, as was their deal so Alec could get back his stolen shirts. Magnus’ reaction when he’d seen Alec the first day Izzy had chosen his clothes was still fresh in Alec’s mind. 

_ “What the hell are you wearing?” Magnus exclaimed upon seeing Alec.  _

_ “Izzy’s condition to me having my shirts back, that’s what I’m wearing.” _

_ “Well, you look good in it, for what it’s worth,” Magnus said, immediately blushing after. _

_ “Yeah, well, I don’t  _ feel  _ good,” Alec protested. “It’s too tight, too revealing.”  _

_ “You could always tell her, I’m sure she doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” _

_ “Izzy’s hobby is making me uncomfortable,” Alec mumbled. It wasn’t true, he knew it wasn’t, but still. “But I think I can survive one week.” _

_ Yeah, well that’s where I was wrong,  _ Alec thought. The clothes Izzy had chosen weren’t too bad, she could have chosen something much worse, but it still wasn’t something he wanted to be seen in. 

“Okay, Magnus. You can go home and change clothes, I’ll meet you outside the ballroom in half an hour,” Alec said, dismissing Magnus. He heard the door open and then close behind him when Magnus left. 

Alec looked at the clothes again and sighed. Just a few days left and he could go back to his usual clothes. He could do that.

 

* * *

 

Luke gave Magnus the same clothes he’d worn to the other banquet, and Magnus had to squeeze into them again. He’d done that, and then he decided to spend the ten minutes he had left reading. He only had time to read about two chapters of the book Luke had given him, it was exciting and  _ literally  _ magical.

But he didn't get to read much before he had to leave. He hid the book in the place he'd found. There was a loose floorboard in his room, and it was hollow underneath. Magnus kept his journal there. Under there was  _ another _ loose plank, which was where Magnus kept the book. He was absolutely sure no one would ever find it there.

After he'd hidden away the book he made his way out of the house and to the ballroom. Magnus’ mind went blank. Because there, outside the ballroom, was Alec. And even though it was nothing new, he was _handsome._ Izzy had chosen his clothes, no doubt. They were tightfitting, possibly even more sinful than the leather pants he’d worn to the other banquet. And the shirt… no doubt the best shirt Magnus had ever seen on him. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbow and hugged his biceps tightly. The dark red material was a big change from Alec’s usual black, and it contrasted against his pale skin perfectly. The bright red cape with the golden Lightwood emblem gave it all a dash of light color.

“Alec,” Magnus said, he was ashamed of himself when his voice sounded rough,  _ he shouldn’t be this affected!  _ Magnus cleared his throat and tried again. “Alec,” He said. 

“Magnus,” Alec sounded slightly breathless. He must’ve run over here or something. “We should go in,” Alec said. 

“Yeah.”  They did, Alec first and Magnus following right after. 

The room was already full of knights talking and eating, and servants rushing here and there with food and drinks. Magnus was glad he didn’t have to spend the whole evening serving people. He just had to spend it all around Alec, which probably wouldn’t be much better considering all the urges he would have to fight. 

“Alec,” Robert came to greet him as soon as they were inside. “Good to see you’re here. Come on, there are a few people I want to introduce you to,” He said, already pulling Alec along. Magnus followed them. 

“Meet Sir Sterkreek and his wife, Mrs. Sterkreek. She has a sister, isn’t that right?” Robert asked the woman.

“I do, father is looking for a husband for her, I am sure you could come to an agreement. If you’re interested, of course,” She added, looking at Alec. 

“Of course, I would love to speak with you sister sometime,” Alec said. Magnus hadn’t known him for a very long time, but he could see the smile was fake from miles away. It wasn’t Alec’s face, it was a mask, the future king’s face. 

“Well, would you excuse us,” Robert said before pulling Alec along again. This was like his marathon, introducing Alec to as many women as possible. 

“This is sir Benjamin Starthron and his sister, Ms. Jasmine Starthron.” Alec striked in a small conversation with Jasmine while Robert talked to Benjamin. They left again a few minutes later. Robert kept introducing Alec to women, Magnus was sure he’d talked to every single lady in the room. Magnus stared at Alec while they talked. He knew he shouldn’t, he knew it was wrong and that anyone could see, but he couldn’t help himself. He was kinda disappointed about the cape, since it blocked his view to half of Alec, but the front was on full display, and it was beautiful, so who was Magnus to complain? 

“Magnus? Hello?” Alec’s voice was calling for him. Magnus had completely zoned out.

“Hm, yeah what?”

“I asked you if you wanted to eat something, dad’s finally left me off the hook,” Alec said.

“Yeah, I could eat,” Magnus said, already turning around. He couldn’t let himself get distracted like that. He couldn't look at Alec like that. He’d already told himself that numerous of times, but it wasn’t easy when Alec was looking like  _ that.  _

Magnus followed Alec to one of the tables where he served himself some of the food available before he went to stand beside Alec, who was already eating.

“So… your father wants you to get married,” Magnus said to fill the silence.

“How did you notice? It's almost like he’s not being subtle,” Alec said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Magnus actually chuckled quietly at that. 

“Well, I do pay close attention so I managed to notice how he made sure you would talk to every female in this room,” he answered and tried to get a lighter tone. “All those beautiful people, and they were lucky that Isabelle got to choose your clothes this evening. That way they got to see you from the best side possible,” he hummed and pushed some chicken into his mouth. If he wasn’t careful people would definitely notice how he was thinking about the future king so maybe if he got to hide it behind food, it would be more difficult, he thought.

“I guess she really knows what’s she’s doing.”

“You really should let her dress you more often. Is it really that bad?” 

“It’s not awful all the time,” Alec mumbled with a smile. Magnus smiled too. 

He averted his eyes from Alec, he’d already stared at Alec for too long, and it would still never be enough. He looked around the room again, looked at every person he could see that wasn’t Alec. His eyes landed on a tall man, white hair and, what really caught Magnus’ attention, purple eyes. No, they weren’t purple, they were blue. But Magnus could swear they had been purple a second ago. The man gave him chills, even from a distance. There was something off about him, something Magnus couldn’t really place.

“Hey, Alec,” Magnus started. “Who is that?” He asked, nodding towards the man. Alec followed his line of sight.

“Malcolm Fade, representative of Edom,” he said. “Why?”

“No reason,” Magnus shrugged. “Just curious.” He looked back at the man, Malcolm. He was looking at him. Or was it Alec he was looking at? Either way, the eyes were definitely blue.  _ There was no purple, it was just the lightning.  _ Magnus thought.  _ I'm turning into Simon,  _ making up stories, creating mysteries.

“He’s coming over here,” Alec whispered to Magnus. Magnus looked up again, and indeed, the man was walking towards them. 

“Your highness,” The man said with a small bow. Alec nodded at him.

“Sir Fade,” He said. 

“This is a lovely banquet, your father certainly knows how to hold a feast. I hope you are enjoying yourself, after all, any dinner might be the last,” Malcolm said. His eyes, blue eyes, were sparkling with excitement. He certainly was enjoying the banquet. 

“I am. I hope you are too, and that you’re liking your stay here in Idris.” Malcolm smirked.

“Oh, I certainly am. And I can’t wait to meet you in a duel, I’m sure you will be an excellent opponent,” He said and gave a small bow again before turning around and walking away.

“Goodbye to you too,” Alec said after him, although not loud enough for anyone other than Magnus to hear. 

Magnus’ feeling had only increased in the little minute Malcolm was there. He’d felt it somewhere before, he just couldn’t remember where… Surely it was nothing. Malcolm Fade was a normal knight representing Edom. Nothing mysterious about it, nothing special. Just a normal person. 

“How long do we have to stay here?” Magnus asked Alec.

“Two hours, and then I’m out,” Alec said. “We have to wait for my father’s speech, and then stay a little bit more for formalities.” Magnus nodded. It was going to be a long night.

 

 

* * *

 

“Izzy,” Alec said when he spotted her. They’d been looking for her for almost ten minutes.

“Alec, Magnus,” She greeted them. Magnus nodded and smiled at her. 

“Hi, Isabelle,” he said. He retreated when she and Alec started talking. She also pulled Alec a little bit away, so whatever they were talking about was probably private. Alec was blushing quite a lot, they were probably talking about all the girls he'd been introduced to, maybe he'd actually liked one of them.

They talked for a while. Alec looked adorable with the blush on his face, Magnus wished he was the one causing it. 

“Magnus,” Isabelle said, leaving Alec to approach him. Magnus looked startled at her. He’d never had a conversation with Isabelle, and the last thing he expected was her approaching him. 

“Izzy,” Alec said warningly from where he was following her.

“Relax, brother, I won’t say anything,” she said. What were they talking about? Some secret? Maybe a secret girlfriend, maybe that’s why Alec was so mad at his father for trying to find him a wife. And there was that time Alec had snuck out and got all tense when Magnus asked him where he’d been, so a secret girlfriend made sense.  _ Of course he has a girlfriend, I mean, look at him!  _ Magnus thought.

“I just want to talk to Magnus, we haven’t had a proper conversation yet,” She said. “Why don’t you go get some more food?” She asked Alec.

“I’m not sure if I want to leave you alone with him.”

“What, don’t you trust me?” 

“You know I do, but you can be very unpredictable.” 

“Alec,” Isabelle said. She looked him in the eyes, it looked like they were having a silent conversation. Eventually, Alec sighed. 

“Fine,” He said before leaving, headed towards the tables. Isabelle turned back to Magnus.

“Hello, Magnus,” She said. 

“Hi.” Magnus looked her up and down. She was beautiful, just like Alec. She was wearing a long dress, dark blue at that top and faded to white at the bottom. Her eyes were dark brown, Magnus hadn’t noticed that before. 

“I hope you are enjoying your job as Alec’s servant,” She said. 

“I am. Alec is very nice and patient,” Magnus said. 

“I heard he’s been driving you hard these last few days.”

“Yeah, he wants to win the tournament, so he’s been practicing quite a lot.” Izzy shook her head.

“Alec doesn’t give a shit about the tournament,” She said, surprising Magnus with the language. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to hear the word, but he hadn’t expected it from a princess like Isabelle. Isabelle seemed like someone who didn’t give a damn about the rules though, so Magnus didn’t really get why he was surprised. “Dad’s the one who wants him to win. Alec really couldn’t care less. He just doesn’t want to disappoint dad.”

“Robert seems to have lots of expectations for Alec,” Magnus pointed out. 

“He does, he expects him to do everything. Alec expects that of himself too, which is probably even worse.” Isabelle said. She looked sad, for her brother probably. Magnus couldn’t help but feel angry. Why was so much expected from Alec? He was a human being, just like everyone else. He wasn’t some perfect machine just because he was the eldest of royal blood. 

“He doesn’t deserve that, all the pressure, everything he thinks he has to live up to,” Magnus said. 

“He really doesn’t,” Isabelle agreed. “But you can help him,” she said.

“Me? How?” 

“Be his friend, he needs one. Support him, be there for him. He needs to know that someone cares,” she said. 

“I’ll do my best,” Magnus promised. He probably wouldn’t even have to try. Caring for Alec was an instinct, he couldn’t _not_ do it. Isabelle smiled at him. 

“I love your hair,” Isabelle said, suddenly changing the subject completely. 

“Thank you,” Magnus said. He had been trying out new stuff ever since he came to Idris. Luke had made something he called hair gel, which made it possible to spike his hair up, or to the side or back. Today Magnus had put it all to one side, leaving the left side of his head bare. “Luke makes lots of cool stuff, so I’m trying it out.”

“Luke is excellent at making things, look, he made me this,” Isabelle said, showing Magnus her hand. At first Magnus was unsure what she wanted him to look at, but then he noticed her nails. They were a light blue color, matching her dress. 

“What is that?” Magnus asked in wonder. He wanted his nails to be like that.

“Luke calls it nail polish, he makes lots of different colors. I’m sure he’ll give you some if you want.” 

“I'm gonna have to ask him, cause that is awesome,” Magnus said. He looked over Isabelle’s shoulder and noticed Alec was approaching them.

“Are you two done?” He asked as soon as he was close enough. 

“Yes, we were just finishing up,” Isabelle said. “You ask him, Magnus, and come find me one day, we can talk some more,” she said. She smiled before leaving, already heading towards someone else.

“What did you two talk about?” Alec asked.

“The stuff Luke makes, why?” 

“Only that? Nothing else?”

“Yes, she didn’t tell me whatever your secret is.”

“No, no, it’s not that! It’s just…” Alec struggled with his words, probably trying to come up with an explanation. 

“Alec, it’s fine. You’re allowed to have secrets, I don’t need to know everything,” Magnus reassured him. “If you ever want to tell me, you will, and if you don’t then you won’t. It’s that simple, okay?” Magnus looked up at Alec. He had to make sure he understood, had to see it in his eyes that he  _ knew  _ that it was okay for him to be human. But Alec looked away, averted his eyes. His whole body was tense. Magnus put both his hand on his shoulders, and he could feel Alec immediately relaxing under his touch.

“Alec, look at me. Look at me,” He said gently, urging Alec to look him in the eyes. “You’re allowed to be human, you  _ are  _ human. Don’t expect yourself to do the impossible, to be more than you can. You are perfect, you don't need to be any more than you already are.  _ Okay?”   _ Magnus didn't let Alec look away. Their eyes were locked, Alec couldn't look away without breaking the connection, and Magnus had a feeling he didn't want to do that.

“Okay,” Alec eventually said. Magnus could see he didn’t believe it, but it was enough for now. Now was not the time to push him. He would have lots of time later, without all these people around.  

“Good.”

 

* * *

 

They stayed at the banquet for two more hours, just like Alec had said. His father had held the speech about bravery and being a good knight and all that. Alec hadn’t been paying attention. Alec had been thinking about what Magnus had said. He couldn’t get it out of his head. Magnus had told him it was okay for him to be human, but was it really? For now, he was just a prince, but one day he would have a kingdom to run, he wouldn’t have time for feelings. And feelings were human. Alec had to distance himself from all of that. At least if he didn’t let himself feel anything he wouldn’t feel any pain.

Feelings were bad, they clouded your judgment. His father had taught him that.  _ “Whenever you have an important choice to make, clear your head, erase all feelings. Feelings cloud judgment. Decisions are to be made with the brain, not with the heart.”  _ Ever since he was a child his father had told him that. And his father was a good king, so it had to be good advice.

His father was done with the speech and was heading his way. Alec looked around for Magnus, but he was by the table getting food. He was on his own. Gladly, his father didn’t have much to say. Unfortunately, what he did say did nothing to lessen Alec’s belief that he couldn’t be human.

“I hope you don’t disappoint me, son.” And Alec wouldn’t, he promised himself that.  _ He wouldn’t disappoint his father.  _

 

* * *

 

Magnus and Alec had left the banquet about ten minutes ago. There were still lots of people there, but Alec had told him it wasn’t necessary for them to be there any longer. They were back in Alec’s chambers now. Alec had just taken off his cape, which Magnus was now folding. What Magnus wasn’t expecting was for Alec to take off his  _ shirt  _ too, and even though Alec looked great in that shirt he looked even better  _ without  _ it. This was the second time in just a few days Magnus had gotten to see Alec’s bare chest. The universe was really testing his boundaries.

“I’m sorry,” Alec said, probably taking his staring for something completely different. “I just had to get out of it.”

“Yes, yes, of course. You don’t need to apologize, you’re allowed to take your shirt off,” Magnus said. He finished folding the cape and put it in the closet. He did not turn back around. First he had to get a hold of himself. 

“I was just going to sleep now, it’s been a long day, and it’ll be one tomorrow too. So you can go home,” Alec said.

“Yeah.” Magnus turned around. No, no no no no. Turn back around, he couldn’t do this. 

“Magnus, are you okay?” God, Alec really was getting ready for bed, and apparently, he slept in his underwear. Magnus was not ready, and he most certainly was not okay.

“Uh, yes. I’m just… I think I saw something in your closet,” He said.

“What, clothes? Those are supposed to be there, Magnus.”  _ Me.  _ Magnus thought. Deep in the closet, but still not blind. 

“No, I think I saw something else, but it must have been my imagination,” Magnus said.  _ Okay, turn around slowly, look at his face, and get the hell out of here. _

Magnus faced Alec. Looked at his face. And shoulders. Okay, just the chest, nothing else. No no no. Magnus had no control over his eyes. This was bad.

“Okay, well I’m gonna go now. See you tomorrow. Bye!” He said, his voice strained. The image of Alec would be burned into his mind forever. He was beautiful, long, lean, strong legs. Beautiful chest. The underwear didn’t leave much for the imagination, but Magnus's imagination was running _wild._ Pictures of that beautiful body over him, under him, on him, in him… _I can't get a boner here!_ He needed to get out of the castle, he needed to get home.

He rushed out and took the shortest way to the flat. Up the stairs and through the door. Luke wasn't in the living room. He was probably sleeping, which was a good thing. 

Magnus tried to silently make his way through the house, but his brain wasn't coping. Actually, his brain had short-circuited. It was filled with pictures of Alec. Alec in all kinds of sinful positions, Alec, Alec, Alec. Just Alec.

Magnus managed to make his way to his room without ruining the living room. By the Angel, he was acting like a horny teenager. He  _ was _ a horny teenager. Nine _ teen. Teenager _ . A teenager with a raging hard on that probably wouldn't go away on its own.

Magnus never thought he would touch himself while thinking of another man, but that was exactly what he did now. He curled his fingers around himself, and he imagined it was Alec’s hand pumping him up and down. Imagined Alec was kissing him, kissing down his neck and chest, putting his hot mouth around him and swirling his tongue over the head. 

Magnus tried to keep quiet, he didn’t want to wake Luke, but he couldn’t stop the small moans leaving his mouth from time to time. When he came minutes later it was with Alec’s name on his lips.

 

* * *

 

Magnus woke up at seven to the sound of the bells ringing. The bells were his alarm clock now, since seven was a good time for him to wake up he’d habited himself to wake up with the clocks. For a second he wondered why he felt so sticky, but then the memories came rushing back. He had gotten himself off, while thinking of Alec. 

What would Alec think if he knew? He would surely be disgusted, he thought of Magnus as a servant, or a friend at best. But what Magnus had done, there was nothing friendly about that. 

But could he really be blamed though? It wasn’t his fault that Alec looked so good. And that Alec had started  _ undressing  _ in front of him like it wouldn’t do things to his brain. And other body parts. It was like he’d thought the night before, he was a horny teenager, and when a hot person started taking their clothes off in front of him there really wasn’t much Magnus could do to stop his body’s reaction.

The sheets were ruined. Magnus noticed that when he got out of the bed. The sheets were ruined, they were all stained and sticky. But Magnus had a solution. He got dressed and then reached under the floorboards for his book, he’d read something about a cleaning spell, surely that would work.

He’d never actually tried to cast a spell. He’d moved things, of course, but that was different. That felt like he was reaching out with an extra arm, but to clean, what would he do? Visualize himself scrubbing the sheets? Do you even scrub sheets?

Magnus cast aside the thoughts and concentrated on finding the right page.  _ Scourgify: The householding spell.  _ Read the title. It said it could be used for cleaning house objects, like cleaning dust from bookshelves or do the dishes. But could it be used to get rid of stains? Only one way to find out. 

“Scourgify!” Magnus tried. He didn't say it too loud in fear if waking Luke up. Nothing happened. The stain didn't disappear, nothing exploded, Magnus didn't even feel the usual rush of magic. He tried again, “scourgify!” again without reaction. What was he doing wrong? Or maybe the question was what  _ wasn't _ he doing? Should he move his body? Do a small dance to ‘call on the power of magic’ or something? 

“Come on, scourgify!” He said again, he pointed his finger against the sheets, maybe the magic needed to know where to go. Blue sparks flew out of his hand, but nothing else happened.  _ Blue sparks?  _ Magnus raised his hand to his face and tried to will more sparks to come out. “How do you work?” He asked the hand. He wasn't surprised, but he was disappointed when the hand didn't answer.

Magnus tried to think about the force, the rush he always felt. He tried to call for it, surely it had to be somewhere inside him. Where did it go when he wasn't using it? If he could find that out then maybe he could find out how to call for it. 

He felt something. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was something. He tried to reach for it, call for it, channel it down to his hand. He felt it, it was definitely there. It was running down his arm, leaving all the hairs standing up and goosebumps spreading as it went. An explosion of blue blew out of Magnus’ hand, lighting up the room but making no noise.

“That’s it, now, scourgify!” Magnus pointed his hand against the sheets while he focused on the energy. He could  _ feel  _ his eyes change and glow. Yellow, a big contrast to the blue leaving his hand. It surrounded the sheets, filled the room, filled it to the brink, till Magnus felt like it was filling  _ him.  _ His lungs, his nose, his mouth, his eyes. It was everywhere, and it felt good, relaxing. Like coming home to a fire in the living room after having been in a snowstorm. Like hugging a loved one. Magnus liked the feeling, he wanted to hold on to it-

“Magnus!” Everything disappeared. Magnus fell,  _ had he been floating?  _ He hadn’t noticed. But now he was on his knees on the floor. He could smell something burnt in the air, but he couldn’t see what it was. Everything in the room was like it had been seconds earlier, the bookshelf was still there, the desk hadn’t caught on fire, the bed hadn’t exploded,  _ the sheet was clean!  _ Luke was standing in the doorway…

“What the hell was that?!” He asked, an angry look on his face.

“I… I don’t know,” Magnus said. He wasn’t lying, whatever had happened, Magnus had not expected it.

“What were you trying?” Luke asked, pointing at the book.

“Oh, a, um… A cleaning spell,” Magnus said, frowning. Whatever had happened didn’t have much to do with cleaning, but the sheet was clean…

“Is that the first spell you’ve ever cast? From the book, I mean.” 

“Um, yeah,” Magnus said.

“How did it feel to be surrounded by it? Good or bad?” 

“It felt good, like… taking a deep breath after having been underwater for too long.”

“It might have been your magic settling down. When the first spell is cast by a person the magic manifests itself in that person’s body, soul, and mind. That was probably what happened here.”  

“But this isn’t the first time I use magic,” Magnus said with a frown. 

“It’s the first time you said a spell out loud, right?” Magnus nodded. “The power you have, whatever it is, is different. I’ve never heard of anything like this, but my guess is that moving things around, it’s like breathing to you, you just know how to do it, right?” Magnus nodded. “Now, any other spell is like walking. You have to learn, practice, get the ability. Some will be harder, like riding a horse or swimming, and some will be different, like… mixing salves or making weapons. The same way you have to work and practice to get those abilities you will have to practice the magic,” Luke said. He always had the answer to everything. “But I want you to be careful, and don’t do any magic in public!” Magnus nodded.

“I won’t, I promise,” He said. It probably wasn’t very smart, since he’d already broken that promise multiple times.

“Hey, Luke!” He said before Luke left the room. “Are there supposed to be sparks?” He asked.

“Sparks?” Luke repeated.

“Yeah. When I first tried to cast the spell a few sparks came out. Blue sparks. Is that supposed to happen?” 

“I’ve never heard of anything like it, but then again you are quite a mystery. Can you show me?” Luke asked. Despite his fear of Magnus getting caught he couldn’t not be curious.

“I… It doesn’t really do as I ask, but I can try,” Magnus said. He looked at his hand and tried to find the force, let it take over him, flow through his body, down his arm and out of his hand…

“That is fascinating!” He heard Luke said. He opened his eyes and looked down at his hand. There was a blue ball of magic in it, that was the only way to explain it. A ball of something that looked like fire, but it was blue. And it was neither warm nor cold, it just was. Magnus raised his other hand and tried to throw the ball to it. The ball flew in a beautiful curve and landed in the other hand. Magnus thought about it getting bigger, growing. The response was immediate, the ball grew to almost twice the size, and then shrank when Magnus thought about it doing so. 

“What is this?” He asked. Both himself, Luke, and the ball itself. Nothing answered. There was a knock on the door. 

“Quick, turn it off!” Luke said. Magnus visualized the ball disappearing, the blue light turning off. And it did, leaving his palm feeling empty and bare. 

Luke went to open the door, and Magnus stayed in his room thinking about what had just happened. Why did he have this power? Of all the people of the world, he was the one with this power. Was it a coincidence? Was there a reason? Who could possibly have the answer?

Magnus remembered something then. A deep voice waking him up in the middle of the night, calling for him. Could the owner of the voice, whoever it was, know something? 

 

* * *

 

Alec woke up with the bells. He’d made it a habit, since it gave him more than enough time to get ready for practice at eight. Izzy still had three days left of deciding what he was going to wear, but not for practice. Alec just wore loose pants and a random shirt when he was training since he would have to change after training anyway. 

Alec went down to the kitchen to grab breakfast. Usually it’s the servant’s job to wake up and get whoever they were working for breakfast, but Alec didn’t find it necessary. He knew the way down to the kitchen himself, and he didn’t want to have Magnus do  _ everything  _ for him. He still wanted to feel like he was in control of his life, at least in something as small and trivial as getting breakfast. 

The cook that worked the morning shift already knew Alec, and he always had breakfast ready for him when he came down. Some mornings Alec stayed and talked with them, other mornings he would hurry away with something important to do. Today wasn’t any of those. Today he took his breakfast with him to his room and ate on his bed.

He had lots of fights today, people he would have to beat. He couldn’t lose. It wasn’t an option for him. Alec wasn’t sure exactly what his father would do if he did lose, but he didn’t want to know. 

The worst part about the tournament was the viewers. The way they cheered when Alec won, the way they gasped when someone was thrown to the floor, everything they did. Like it was a game, like it was something made for their entertainment.  _ It is,  _ Alec thought. For everyone else, but not for him. Losing would mean… Alec wasn’t sure, but it would mean something bad. And whatever it was it had to be avoided, no matter the costs. He was going to win. He was going to win for his father, for his dignity, for his pride.  _ He was going to win.  _

 

* * *

 

“Who was that?” Magnus asked when the door closed behind the man.  

“Just some client,” Luke said. He left the entrance to make breakfast. Magnus followed him.

“Luke, can I ask you something?” 

“Of course, what is it?” 

“You know that thing,” Magnus started. “The eido-something demon, the shapeshifter.”

“Yes, what about it?” Luke looked up from the food he was making to look at Magnus.

“You said it was most probably following orders, that something else sent it, right?” 

“Yes. I can’t be sure, of course, but it makes more sense than an Eidolon demon doing that all by itself.”

“Don’t you think this tournament would be the perfect chance for someone to kill Alec?” Magnus asked.

“Killing in the tournament is against the rules,” Luke said, frowning.

“Of course, but whoever this is doesn’t exactly play by the rules.”

“It could always be a possibility. You should keep your eyes open.”

“One more question,” Magnus said. “These kinds of demons, shapeshifters, and whatever else that might come, do they have physical marks that separate them from humans?”

“Not that I know of, but I have read myths about magical beings that look exactly like humans, except they all have a mark that separates them. But that’s just legends as far as I know, and the mark could be anything.”

“Like… purple eyes…”

“Yes, purple eyes. But where is all this coming from?” Magnus was about to tell him, but then he thought it through. Luke would probably tell him it had just been the lighting, like Magnus had told himself, but he was  _ sure  _ Malcolm's eyes had been purple. He couldn’t tell Luke, not yet. He would tell him when he had proof. Malcolm Fade, there was something off about him, a weird energy that didn’t fit with everyone else’s. And whatever it was, Magnus was going to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if any of you noticed, but Scourgify is a spell from Harry Potter. I'm bad at making up spells, ok? And this is fanfiction, stealing things from books and movies is kind of the point. It's a mini crossover, Luke somehow found a book that had belonged to a Hogwarts student or something, I don't know. Anyway, I just wanted to say that, I did not make that spell up. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you again next week! (Well, not see you, but... you know what I mean)


	5. The finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale is closing in.
> 
> Magnus is still trying to figure out the whole Malcolm thing, and he's running out of time.

The last day of the tournament was coming. At the end of that day, two knights would walk into the arena knowing only one of them could leave with the title. Alec was going to be one of them, Magnus was sure of it. There was a good chance Malcolm was going to be the other one, which Magnus was worried about. 

Magnus hadn’t gotten much time around Malcolm, he’d only seen him sometimes out on the streets or on the field, and that feeling always followed him. That familiar feeling that he felt he should know but couldn’t place anywhere. 

He hadn’t seen the purple eyes again, he almost started believing that he made it up, but then the day before something had happened, something that convinced Magnus that Malcolm wasn’t just a normal knight.

He’d been fighting Meliorn, representative of the Seelie realm. Meliorn had had the upper hand through the entire fight, he was the most skilled fighter Malcolm had had to face up to this moment. Meliorn had gotten Malcolm pressed up against a wall, and that’s when Magnus felt it. He could swear that Malcolm’s eyes had glowed purple then, and a second later it felt like he’d been hit in the stomach. When he looked up again Meliorn was on the ground, Malcolm standing over him with an evil grin on his face. But he wasn’t looking at Meliorn. He was looking at Magnus. Maybe Magnus was too quick to assume things, but he had no doubt in his heart that Malcolm was sent to kill Alec. 

That night Magnus had hurried home as soon as Alec had dismissed him. He’d spent hours reading through the book, looking for anything that could help him. Whatever Malcolm had done, it didn’t make sense that it had affected  _ him.  _ Malcolm was fighting Meliorn, and it sure had affected him, but it had affected Magnus too, and that’s what made him so curious.

Did he cast a spell that affected a group of people? Maybe he and Meliorn had something in common? There was a spell that affected everyone of the same blood. Maybe it had something to do with his father? Magnus had never met his father, and his mother never talked about him. Maybe after his father ran off he met someone in the Seelie realm. That would make sense… But Meliorn seemed older than him. Maybe they had the same grandfather? Either way, Magnus had to warn Alec about Malcolm. 

Which was what he was doing now. He was on his way to Alec's chambers, as always, but this time he was going to tell Alec about his suspicions. He just wanted Alec to look out, to be careful. 

“Alec,” Magnus said once in his chambers. Magnus had stopped knocking a few days ago when Alec told him not to. Alec clearly didn’t mind having Magnus around. The only thing Magnus was scared of was to enter the room while Alec was naked, or anything even relatively close to it. Last time that had happened it had left Magnus in quite a heat, something Magnus didn’t really want to repeat. Although it had felt amazing…  _ No! Not now,  _ Magnus forced his thoughts away.

“Can I talk to you?” He asked.

“Uh, yeah. Of course, what is it?” 

“Well, you remember at the first banquet, you know, the one where all of this started,” Magnus said. 

“Yes…” Alec said uncertainty. He didn’t know where this was going. 

“The thing that tried to kill you, the shapeshifter, Luke suspects it was obeying orders.”

“Okay, and that means…?”

“That means that whatever sent it probably wants you dead. And, I haven’t confirmed this, but I think the tournament would be the perfect chance for someone to do just that.”

“Do you have anyone specific in mind?” Alec asked with a frown.

“Honestly, I have no proof, but Malcolm Fade is… I’m not sure, but there's something off about him.” Magnus didn't know how to explain it, it was a feeling, he could sense that Malcolm was different. And of course the fact that he’d seen purple eyes  _ twice,  _ and he was convinced Malcolm had used magic to win over Meliorn. 

“Malcolm Fade? What makes you think that?” 

“Alec, I know it sounds crazy, but I can feel that something isn’t right. I think he’s cheating, I think he’s using magic,” Magnus said. 

“Those are some dangerous accusations to make, Magnus. Have you told anyone else?” Alec questioned.

“No, only you.”

“Good, don’t tell anyone.”

“Why not?” 

“Because, if he is cheating like you say, he’s not just gonna admit it, and it’ll be a servant’s word against a knight’s. Who do you think they’ll believe?”

“What do  _ you _ believe?” 

“I trust you, Magnus. But you have no proof, so it’s not like I can do anything!”

“I expected you to say something like this, but please promise me that you’ll be careful, yeah?” Magnus requested. He had known that there wasn’t much Alec could do without any proof, but he wanted him to know and he wanted him to be careful. And it felt surprisingly good to hear that Alec trusted him and not the knight. 

“You’re gonna win, today and tomorrow, and you’re not getting hurt, okay?” It had kind of become their thing, the okay thing. 

“Okay.”

  


* * *

  


“Luke,” Magnus said as soon as he opened the door. Another day had gone by, Alec had won all his fights and was going to fight Malcolm in the finale tomorrow. Magnus had been paying close attention to every fight Malcolm had been a part of, but nothing unusual had happened. Malcolm clearly only used magic when it was absolutely necessary. 

Luke looked up from his book to look at Magnus. “Do you know anything about my father?” Magnus asked. Luke almost dropped his book.

“Your- your father?” He questioned. 

“Yes. I mean, I had one, right? So how come no one ever talks about him, or even mentions him? It’s like he never existed!” Magnus needed to know, needed to know if he was right about him and Meliorn, needed to know about his father. 

“What did your mother tell you?” Luke asked.

“She said he’d been a mistake, that he was scared and ran away the second he started feeling insecure.”

“There’s not much more to it, your father was a coward, and he ran away at the first sign of danger. Why are you suddenly so interested in him?”

“He is my father, am I not allowed to be curious? What was his name?” Magnus asked. Luke didn’t say anything, he stayed silent with a thoughtful look on his face. “Luke, his name?” Magnus asked again.

“Asmo,” Luke said, looking Magnus in the eye like he was daring him to think it was a lie. 

“His name is Asmo?” 

“Yes, Asmo. But Magnus, he wasn’t a good person. He still isn’t a good person. I don’t want you to go looking for him, and if someone ever comes to you and says they’re your father, you run, okay? You blast them with a ball of magic and you run.” 

“If he’s such a coward why would he come looking for me?”

“Magnus, just trust me on this one, please,” Luke begged. Luke had never begged Magnus to do anything. What was it about his father? He couldn’t just be an ordinary coward if Luke was so scared of him getting in contact with Magnus.

“Okay, yeah. If anyone ever tells me they’re my father I’ll blast them with my magic and run away,” Magnus repeated. “If I ever get the magic under enough control to blast it at anyone,” He added under his breath. 

The magic was… well, it was a work in progress. Ever since that day Magnus had been trying to recreate the ball, but the best he’d gotten was a few sparks. He didn’t understand what he was doing wrong, he tried the exact same thing he’d done that day, but it didn’t work! And it wasn’t like he could just read a manual on how to summon a ball of magic. According to Luke, that shouldn’t even be possible. But Magnus was working on it, and he was thinking about casting another spell, although the whole thing last time had kind of scared him off. He hoped Luke was right and that it was just his magic settling down. If  _ that  _ happened every time he did a spell then he wasn’t sure how much he was going to use it in the future.

Magnus retreated to his room. He wasn’t getting any more out of Luke. he went to stand by the window. It had a view of a square. Something Magnus had noticed pretty early on was that the city was full of squares, almost more squares than streets.

Magnus looked down, there was a small market there, with lots of people, but Magnus had seen days with it even busier. But what Magnus noticed was the knight in the middle of the crowd. The knight with the leaf tattoo on his cheekbone and the Seelie realm’s emblem on his shield. Magnus was out of his room in seconds, running out of the house. 

“Where are you going?!” Luke asked when he hurried by.

“I saw Catarina at the market, gonna see if I can catch her before she leaves,” Magnus lied. He didn’t have time to hear Luke’s reply as he was already halfway down the stairs. Why hadn’t he thought of talking to Meliorn before? If anyone had noticed Malcolm had used magic it had to be Meliorn. And Meliorn was a knight, his word against Malcolm’s would stand much stronger then Magnus’.

His only fear was that Meliorn hadn’t noticed that Malcolm had used magic. If he thought it was something else, would Magnus manage to convince him? And if he did know it was magic, why hadn’t he reported Malcolm yet? 

By the time Magnus came to the square Meliorn was already mounting his horse. Magnus sprinted the last few meters, determined to reach Meliorn before he left. His lungs were burning, but he pushed on, just a little more. “Meliorn, sir!” He yelled, breathless. But Meliorn heard him.

He turned around to see who had called for him and gave Magnus a weird look when he saw him. “What do you want?” He asked when Magnus caught up with him. Magnus had to catch his breath for a minute before he could answer.

“I was wondering if I could talk to you,” Magnus said. “About the tournament. And about Malcolm Fade.” Magnus looked around himself to check that no one was listening. Meliron looked curiously at him before looking around too.

“You want to talk about that here?” He asked before shaking his head and answering his own question. “No, let’s go somewhere more private,” He said, nodding for Magnus to follow him and then lead his way through a few streets until they reached a tavern, probably the one Meliorn had been staying at. “I still have the room for a few hours,” Meliorn said. He left the horse in the stable and led Magnus in. He got a key from the reception and Magnus followed him up to a room. 

“You wanted to talk to me about Malcolm Fade, I guess you’re worried about your master,” Meliorn said.

“Well, he’s not my master, but yeah, I’m worried about him. I know Malcolm is cheating, and I’m convinced that he’s going to try to kill Alec.”

“You’re not wrong,” Meliorn said. “Malcolm Fade is cheating. And you’re right about being worried, but I do not think there is very much you can do about it. Malcolm is using magic, but you cannot prove it, am I right?”

“Yes, exactly! So you know he’s using magic. Why haven’t you reported him to the king? You could have been in the finale if he hadn’t cheated.”

“The Seelie Queen is not interested in riches, only in formalities. I came, that is enough. Malcolm Fade is not my problem, I do not have to fix it.”

“But Alec’s life could be in danger, and you can help him! They’ll take your word for it, not mine,” Magnus tried to convince Meliorn.

“Alexander’s life will go as fate has designed it. It is not in my place to change that.”

“How can you say that? You’re just gonna let him die because  _ fate  _ made it that way?” 

“I do not know his fate, I do not know if he is to die tomorrow. All I know is that I will not involve myself in this.”

“Can you at least tell me why the spell Malcolm cast on you affected me too? I think it’s blood magic, is it possible that we share a father?” Magnus asked.

“No, we do not. The blood we share goes as far back as the beginning of the Seelies, but that is not in my place to tell you. I must leave now. The queen knows about me getting out of the tournament is now expecting my immediate return to the kingdom,” Meliorn said. He left the room and Magnus had no choice but to follow. Once he was outside the tavern he watched Meliorn go, knowing that his last chance of saving Alec was probably riding away on that very horse. And what did Meliorn mean, that the blood they shared went that far back? That didn’t make any sense.

Magnus walked back to Luke’s house, his home, and called for Luke, maybe he could help him, now that he knew for sure that Malcolm was cheating.

“Magnus, did you find Catarina?” Luke asked. 

“I… no, it wasn’t her who I saw down at the square,” Magnus said. “I need to tell you something, can you sit down,” He asked, gesturing to a chair. He was going to tell Luke the whole thing, the weird feeling he got around Malcolm, the thing he’d felt while Malcolm was fighting Meliron, the purple eyes he could swear he’d seen, all of it. He just hoped Luke wasn’t just going to call him paranoid and brush it all away. He  _ knew  _ Malcolm was cheating, Meliorn had confirmed it. 

He told Luke, and he could see his face altering between shocked, confused, curious, and worried. “Magnus, this is… I don’t know what to say. Did you tell Alec? Did you warn him?” he asked. 

“Yes, as soon as I was sure. But what exactly can he do if Malcolm is using magic? If only there was a way to show everyone,” Magnus mumbled.

“Wait, say that again,” Luke said, standing up.

“If only there was a way to show everyone…” Magnus repeated, confused. 

“Exactly! Every magic is visible, except your... moving around things magic, but that’s something else. You have blue sparks, other people have other colors, but everyone has one. If Malcolm’s doesn’t have one it must be because he’s hiding it with some kind of spell,” Luke said.

“Wait, so, if we can reverse that spell without Malcolm realizing we can make everyone see his magic!” Magnus exclaimed. “But in that case, he would need to use magic in front of someone the king will trust, and that will probably only happen during the finale tomorrow.” Magnus realized. “And by that time it will already be too late.”

“Not necessarily,” Luke said. “Malcolm is smart, he knows that killing Alec with magic would be stupid. It’s not natural for someone to just die of nothing in the middle of a battle. It’s more probable that he will do something more subtle, like what he did with Meliorn, and then make Alec’s death seem like an accident.”

“Of course! And if he does that there will be enough time for the guards to stop him before he manages to kill Alec!” Magnus exclaimed before he remembered something. “But… how do we… or how do I do that? Do you think there will be such a spell in your book? And how can I hide that  _ I  _ used magic?”

“ _Your_ book, Magnus. I gave it to you. And yes, I believe I’ve read something like that, we’ll just have to search for it. And about your magic… have you tried casting any spell after scourgify?” He asked. Magnus shook his head.

“No, I… I’m scared something like the last time will happen, if anyone else had opened that door I would probably just be another headless body in the cemetery. I haven’t managed to make any more balls either,” Magnus said.

“In that case you should try casting some easy spells today, just to try and see how subtle we can make it. I am sure nothing like last time will happen, but we will check, just to be sure,” Luke said. “We’ll make sure you are positioned somewhere hidden, but still with a  clear view of the battle, and then we’re gonna have to hope for the best.” Luke looked at Magnus, and he could probably see the insecurity in his eyes, cause he added, “Only if you think you’re capable, of course.”

Magnus thought about it. It was scary, one wrong move and he could be executed. But if he didn’t do anything Alec could be killed. He couldn’t let anyone kill Alec. Meliorn said they had to let fate decide, but Magnus wasn’t going to leave it in fate’s hands, he was going to take care of the situation himself. “I can do it,” He said. He could, he would. He could do it,  _ he could do it.  _

“You should tell Alec about the plan,” Luke said.

“I should tell Alec that I’m planning to save him from some cheating, magic guy with my own magic?” Magnus said, raising an eyebrow.

“Not that much. Just tell him that you have a plan, that it’s going to be fine.” 

“And what am I supposed to say when he asks me how I plan to do that exactly?” he asked, he didn’t want to lie to Alec but he also couldn’t tell him the truth. They had become friends over the past two weeks and Alec trusted him but they were nowhere close to having such a tight relationship that Magnus could tell him about his magic just yet. Not when Alec’s father was responsible for getting everyone who used magic executed, and Magnus had no idea where Alec’s opinion in magic stood. 

“Just make something up, I’m sure Alec will believe it as long as you sound confident enough and use some weird words. That almost always works,” Luke said. 

“Alec isn’t stupid,” Magnus said seriously.

“And neither are you, I’m sure you can come up with something. But either way, that is a problem for later, now we have to find that spell and check out how your magic’s working.”

  


* * *

  


Magnus had left as soon as the tournament was over, leaving Alec alone in his room. He seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere, probably to meet someone. Alec started wondering what it was Magnus did when he wasn’t with him. He knew he helped Luke sometimes when Alec didn’t keep him busy all day, and he’d seen him hanging around with Clary and Simon in the castle, but other than that… Alec honestly didn’t know and he wondered if there were more people, maybe even a special one? What about that girl he’d seen with him at the banquet, the first one? The blacksmith’s daughter, Alec was sure it was her. Were they friends? More than friends? Maybe Magnus was sitting in a small tavern right now, laughing and talking with her over some romantic dinner. Alec wished it was him there with Magnus, being a normal person. If you could call it normal. Wanting a man like that? That couldn’t be normal, Izzy had told him it was, but it couldn’t be. No man should want another like Alec wanted Magnus. It was wrong, what would his father think? He would be disgusted, like Alec  _ should  _ be. His father was right, always. He was a good king, Alec was going to do his best to live up to him, to be just as good as him, as good as he could be. He needed to find a wife and forget about his feelings for Magnus, a king couldn’t have a boyfriend.

“Alec!” There was someone knocking at the door. Jace. “Alec, are you in there?” Alec shook himself out of the thoughts. 

“Yeah,” He said, sounding much happier than he was feeling. “What do you want?” He asked, opening the door. 

“We should go out or train a bit more before your last fight tomorrow. I know that you can’t drink anything if we go out but maybe you’d still want to? We could take Izzy as well. I’m sure she would love to,” Jace said and looked at Alec, waiting for an answer from him. 

“Erm, I don’t know, Jace. Probably not. I need to get some rest and be prepared for the battle tomorrow. You know I need to win and Malcolm is a strong opponent. I can’t risk staying out too long and we both know that that risk is very high with you, especially when it’s combined with Izzy,” he told his brother and smiled as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “But you can go. Don’t let me hold you back and stop you from having fun, but keep your hands to yourself. We don’t want the same thing that happened with that girl, to happen again.” he teased at which Jace only rolled his eyes.

“It was a lie she told because I didn’t pay enough attention to her and you know that.” 

“Yeah sure, whatever you say,” Alec chuckled and shook his head. “Now go and have fun with Izzy, but I expect you both to watch me tomorrow, I need your support,” he told him. It was true, it helped him a lot to focus when he knew that his siblings were there to support him. It also helped a lot to know that Magnus was there too, but Alec didn’t want to think too much about why he liked that so much. 

“We'll be there cheering for you all the way,” Jace ensured him. “Are you sure you don't wanna come with us?”

“Yes, Jace. I'm sure. I'll see you tomorrow,” Alec said, waving Jace away. Jace turned to Izzy's room, just a few doors away, and even after his own door was closed he could hear them talking excitedly until they were far away. Again he was left alone in his room. He couldn't help but let his thoughts drift away. Away to the fight tomorrow. 

Magnus had warned him about Malcolm, told him that Malcolm was using magic. Alec trusted him, he did, but he wondered where Magnus had gotten his suspicions from. He'd said he could feel it, but was that enough to go on? Sure, Alec had been surprised when Malcolm defeated Meliron, Meliron was an excellent fighter and had faced Alec in the finale multiple times. But Malcolm had probably just had a lot of luck. Or he was using magic. Alec trusted Magnus, probably more than he should trust someone he's known for such a short period of time. Alec just had to look out tomorrow, notice everything, not let Malcolm catch him off guard. Surely that couldn't be too ha-

There was a knock at the door. Who could it be? Izzy and Jace were out, Magnus had left, but it could be him. Alec opened the door and was surprised to see bright red hair.

“Clary?” He exclaimed. “What are you doing here?” He asked. Clary looked unsure, nervous.

“Alec, I know we're not exactly best friends, but…” Alec looked down at Clary, confused and not sure of what was happening. “Um, Jace told Izzy you didn't want to go out with them, which isn't unusual, but that just reminded me of something I've been noticing…” Alec really had no idea where Clary was going with this, and he had a feeling he didn't want to know. “Are you okay?” Clary asked, finishing whatever she was saying they Alec hadn't managed to catch. “You've been acting weird lately.” 

“What? Of course I'm okay, where is this coming from?”

“Alec, I might not know you very well, but even I can notice you're acting differently. I know you probably won't believe it since we don't really get along, but I'm worried about you.”

“Clary, I'm fine. Really.” Clary was worrying about him? This sounded more like someone else, “did Izzy send you?” He asked.

“Alec you and I both know that if Izzy wants something she does it herself. I just thought that it must be hard for you, with everything going on, and now Magnus on top of it…”

“What about Magnus?” Alec interrupted.

“Your feelings for him. Must be hard to deal with that, and your father trying to find you a wife-”

“I don't have any feelings for Magnus,” Alec gritted out.

“Alec, it's okay, I'm jus-”

“No, Clary,  _ I don't have feelings for Magnus.  _ Okay? I have things to do now, so you need to go,” Alec said, already pushing her away and closing the door.

“Alec!” Alec shut her out. Was it really that evident? So obvious that even  _ Clary  _ could see it?

“Damn it,” he cursed once the door was closed. “What am I supposed to do now?” he mumbled and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay… calm down, maybe it’s just Clary,” he tried to tell himself. “Well, and Izzy. But Jace doesn't know anything.”  Then again Jace hadn't realized Alec had been in love with him for  _ years.  _ But what if Magnus realized? Alec had to make sure he didn't. He had to forget his feelings for Magnus, erase them. If only it was that easy. 

“What am I supposed to do?!” He yelled to the empty room. “What do you want from me?”

“I’m sorry… I can come back once you are done yelling at the walls,” Magnus, who had just entered the room, mumbled. 

“Magnus.” Alec turned around quicker than he ever had. Everything he'd felt in the last few minutes came rushing back all at once with the sight of Magnus, Alec felt like he might break under the weight, but he plastered a smile on his face. “What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I wanted to tell you something, but I can come back later…”

“No, it's fine. I was just… letting out some steam,” Alec said. It sounded lame in his own ears, but Magnus seemed to accept it.

“Okay…” well, at least he didn't push it. “Anyway, I need to talk to you, about the tournament. And Malcolm.” That peaked Alec's interest.

“What about him?” He asked.

“Um, well, Luke and I probably found out a way to reveal if he's using magic or not.”

“What? How?” Alec asked. Magnus hesitated.

“Uh, well, it's kinda complicated. Luke suspects that he's using some kind of spell to hide his magic when he uses it, and he's found out a way to reverse it.”

“How can you reverse a spell without using magic yourself?” Alec asked, frowning.

“I asked him that too. He said there was some, umm, some kind of, erm, tea. That makes magic visible.”

“Tea?” Alec questioned.

“Yeah. I was just as surprised as you, but Luke is sure it works. There are just two small problems…” Magnus started.

“What?”

“Well, first of all, we have to find out how to get him to drink the tea, and second, it only shows his magic when he uses it. So only tomorrow at the tournament, and only if he uses it.”

“So by the time everyone sees he's using magic I'll be dead,” Alec said, not asked, just pointed out.

“Not if, and this is kind of a big if, but Luke and I suspect that he's not gonna kill you with magic, he'll make it seem like an accident.”

“So my life is dependent if him not wanting to seem like a criminal.”

“It sounds bad when you say it like that. Let's rather say your life is dependent of him… Okay, I don't know. Yes, your life is dependent of him not wanting to seem like a criminal. I'm sorry, it's the best we managed,” Magnus said.

“It's fine. I guess I have a better chance then I would have without the tea. If what you're saying is true, of course.”

“It is. Alexander, it is true and you know it,” Magnus said. And it was true, but Alec’s brain was still stuck on the beginning of the phrase.

“Since when do you call me Alexander?” He asked.

“Oh, I… I don't know, it just slipped. I'm sorry, Alec.”

“No, don't be. I like it when you say it,” Alec said. And he did, the way the name rolled of Magnus’ tongue, the way he said it with such fondness.  _ Friendly  _ fondness. “I wouldn't mind if you called me that more often.” Magnus smiled.

“And I certainly wouldn't mind saying it more often. It's a beautiful name, Alexander.” Alec couldn't help smiling back.

“Well, I just came here to tell you about that plan and… yeah wish you luck and ask you again to be careful. I… I like you and I don’t want to attend your funeral and end up with Jace as the new king of Idris.”  

“You… you like me?”

“Of course, you're an awesome friend, and you'll be a great King, much better than Jace.”

“Yes, friend. Of course. You're a good friend too, Magnus. I'm glad you saved my life at that banquet, and not just because you saved my life,” Alec said. It felt like he was back with Jace again, Jace constantly telling him that he loved him and not realizing what it did to Alec. He couldn't go through that again with Magnus.

“I would do that again any time” promised Magnus. “And honestly, I'm glad your father considers being your servant a payment. It gave me a chance to get to know you.” He said. “But I need to get back to Luke now, we still have to finish the tea and find out how to give it to Malcolm.”

“Let me know if I can help,” Alec said, following Magnus to the door. 

“Of course. I'll see you tomorrow, Alexander.” Alec closed the door behind him, smiling because he had called him Alexander again.  _ How would it sound when Magnus moaned that?  _ He wondered and quickly shook his head. He didn't want to know that, he didn't want Magnus that way.  _ He didn't. _ At least he wanted to tell himself that, even though he knew the truth.

He could change the truth, find a nice princess and have kids. And Magnus would be by his side as his servant and friend. And Alec would probably spend his whole life wanting him and wishing things were different. But he'd already come to terms with this, why was he feeling all of this again? 

He needed to do something to get his mind off Magnus, and everything else. His feet led him down to the training room without him even noticing. Alec hadn't been there in a while, he’d spent more time in the clearing lately. But today he didn't feel like talking, he wanted to punch his thoughts away. And if anyone asked he could say he was training for the finale. People would buy it, they didn't know him, couldn't see right through him like Izzy, or even Jace and Magnus. And apparently Clary. And probably everyone. 

Alec threw the first punch at the bag. It was filled with sand, hard against his knuckles. Just the distraction he needed. Again and again, till all he could think about was the bag in front of him. No more Magnus, no more responsibilities or expectations, no more useless feelings. Only the sting of the bag against his knuckles, again and again and again.

  


* * *

  


Magnus did not sleep much that night. He and Luke spent almost two hours looking for the spell they needed to undo Malcolm's, and then they spent pretty much the rest if the night trying out spells. They had tried scourgify again, Magnus had managed it on the fourth try. There had been no explosion of blue, which was a relief. They'd tried lots of spells after that, just to make sure everything would work perfectly. They'd spend some time around the blue magic balls, which appeared now. It looked like they only came after Magnus said a spell out loud. By the time they finally went to sleep the sun was already up, and both of them were exhausted.

Less than two hours later Magnus was woken up by the bells. He was surprised he didn't sleep through them, considering how tired he was. He forced himself out of the bed and down to the kitchen. Luke was there, standing over two cups of some brown liquid.

“What's that?” Magnus asked.

“This,” Luke said. “Is coffee. It's supposed to give you energy. You wanna give it a go?” He asked. Magnus looked down at the mug Luke was handing him. He needed energy…

“Sure,” he said, taking the mug from Luke and taking a sip. Luke laughed at the face he pulled.

“Yeah, it's really bitter. Do you want some sugar in it?” Magnus nodded and tried again when Luke handed it back to him. 

“Well… It’s better but still not good.”

“You get used to it after a while. Energy is a precious thing, especially after a night like this one. Of course, if you don't want it I can…”

“No, that won't be necessary. If there's anything I need now it's energy.” 

“Of course,” Luke said. “Have you learned the spell?” He asked.

“Well, yeah. But I haven't tried it out, so I'm just gonna hope it works.”

“It will work, Magnus. I believe in you.”

“Thank you. It has to work. I can’t let Alec get hurt,” he told Luke and bit his lip, this had to work. If Alec got hurt, or even worse,  _ died _ , Magnus wouldn't be able to live with himself. 

“You should go. Check on him again and then find your spot from which you can cast the spell.” 

“Yeah. I'll talk to you later, I'm guessing you'll be watching?”

“I will, both Alec and you.”

“Thank you” Magnus hummed and nodded. He quickly left the flat and got into the castle to Alec. 

“Hey,” he greeted. “Are you ready to fight?” 

“Yeah,” Alec said, his hand closed around the handle of the sword, and that's when Magnus noticed.

“Woah, what happened to your hands?” He asked, referring to the bruised knuckles. Alec looked away.

“Nothing,” he mumbled. “I was just working out yesterday.”

“Yeah, well you should be more careful,” Magnus said, holding Alec's hand up to inspect it.

“Magnus, I'm fine. It's nothing,” Alec said, pulling his hand back. “Come on, we need to get to the arena.”

“Alexander, you need to be focused today, this is important,” said Magnus, rather loudly. “Please tell me you got enough sleep and that you're not hurt.”

“I did, I got as much sleep as I usually do. And I swear, Magnus, I'm not hurt. It’s just a way to blow off some steam.”

“Screaming at the walls was a better alternative. You should go back to doing that.” 

“I don't think that will work with Malcolm though. Speaking of which, did you manage to give him that tea?” 

“The tea?” Magnus had already forgotten about the explanation he'd given Alec. “Yes, right, the tea! Yes, I made sure he got it.”

“How?”

“Unimportant details, if you're not hurt then we should get to the arena,” Magnus said, pulling Alec along with him out of the castle.

“Magnus,” Alec said, chuckling. “You're going the wrong way.”

“No, I'm n- oh. Sorry,” Magnus said. He hadn't been paying attention.

“It’s fine… where have you been with your thoughts?” Alec asked with a grin.

“Well, the fact that you might die has been running through my mind quite a lot, and I can't understand how it's not running through yours.”

“I'm a soldier, Magnus. I'm used to facing death. And I've said it already, I trust you. And you have done everything you can to make sure I'll walk out of this alive, so I believe that I will.”

“I just hope I don't mess anything up,” Magnus mumbled. Alec wasn't supposed to hear him, but he did.

“Magnus, whatever you did, I'm sure you did it perfectly. Now stop worrying, or it's gonna wear over on me. And Magnus,” Alec said, stopping them to look Magnus in the eye. “If I do die, know that it wasn't your fault. You did everything you could. Okay?” Magnus smiled. Usually, Magnus was the one saying that, it was nice to have it the other way around. Although the situation wasn't the best.

“Okay,” he said. “Come on now, let's get you to that arena,” Magnus said, pulling Alec along again.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. A comfortable silence. They walked side by side, shoulders almost touching, and Magnus thought about how easy it would be to take Alec's hand. But Alec wouldn't want that. At least not like Magnus wanted it. So Magnus put his hands in his pockets instead, to refrain himself from the urge.

“So, I will leave you here. I need to find a place to watch. I believe in you, Alexander,” he told him and squeezed Alec's shoulder for a moment before he turned around to go and look for a place from where he could cast the spell.

He found the perfect place after a while of searching. It was right by one of the entrances to the arena, he had a perfect view of everything, and he was mostly hidden from view himself. If he did happen to be caught he could always say he was Alec's servant and that Alec had told him to wait there. Either way, it was perfect. Now he just had to wait for the finale to start.

The arena had started to fill, people from all around had come to watch. Isabelle and Jace were sitting on their thrones on a podium, along with King Robert. Luke was sitting not far from them, scanning the crowds like he was looking for something. Someone. Magnus waved his arms to catch his attention, hopefully no one else's. Luke noticed him, gave him a smile and a thumb up. Magnus smiled back.

He sat there for a few more minutes before someone blew in the horns. The finale was about to start. The king stood up, he was going to hold a speech. He did that a lot, Magnus had started zoning out while he did, it was pretty repetitive.

The speech was held, applause, Magnus only started paying attention when Alec and Malcolm finally entered the arena. Their armors had the same design, but Magnus would have no problem in seeing who was who. Malcolm’s cape was a dark purple color, almost black, very different from Alec’s bright red. Their shields were completely different too, Alec’s was red with a flame, the Lightwood emblem, in gold. Malcolm’s was black with a red star and weird symbols on it. And even without all that Magnus could still be able to separate them, their aura was different.  There was a red glow around Malcolm, while Alec had none. At least not that Magnus could see.

Magnus was still worried that something could go wrong. The spell would only work for about five minutes, so he couldn’t cast it too early, but he couldn’t cast it too late either. One wrong word, one wrong calculation, and Alec could die. And that would be on Magnus. He couldn’t let that happen.

He had his eyes glued to the two as the fight started. Alec and Malcolm circled each other, both waiting for the right moment to attack. Magnus had seen this countless of times ever since the tournament had started. But this time it was different, this time he was really paying attention. This time he was watching every move like he was the one in Alec’s position. 

Malcolm made the first move, and the fight was on. They danced around each other, swords and shields clacking against each other. It was hard to see who had the upper hand so early in the fight, but Magnus was sure Alec’s skills were superior to Malcolm’s. 

It was hard to predict what was going to happen, Malcolm could use his magic at any moment but Magnus didn’t want to risk casting the spell too early and have the effects wear off by the time Malcolm actually used the magic. 

Alec was driving Malcolm back, he clearly had the upper hand now. Malcolm was likely to use his magic soon, he needed to cast the spell.  _ But what if he doesn’t use it yet?  _ Magnus thought. What if Alec died because he was too rushed? Magnus looked up at Luke, see what he thought. But Luke wasn’t looking at him, his eyes were fixed on the two men fighting in the arena. Alec had Malcolm pressed up against a wall, if Malcolm was going to use his magic, it would be now. 

Magnus reached for the energy like he had spent the whole night practicing. It only took a second now. He whispered the words of the spell and let the energy flow through him, out of him. He was looking at Malcolm, to see if anything happened. He needed to see everything, anything that could be magic. Malcolm was barely holding on now, he was pushed up against the wall, only his shield protecting him from Alec’s sword. If Magnus hadn’t been paying so close attention he wouldn’t have noticed when Malcolm murmured something. But he did, and he held his breath as he waited for something to happen, anything. 

_ Purple.  _ Purple sparks, paired with purple eyes. Magnus saw them. Just before Alec lost his footing. It could have looked like an accident, but not with purple surrounding him. The whole crowd gasped, everyone had seen it. The king was standing, looking shocked and furious. 

“How dare you use magic to cheat against my son!” He yelled, his voice clear and loud. Malcolm looked just as shocked as everyone else. He was murmuring something, probably cursing himself for not hiding his magic. Or he was casting a spell.  _ Casting a spell!  _ Now that he had been discovered he might not hesitate in killing Alec with magic! Why hadn't Magnus thought of that? 

Malcolm raised his hands, and Magnus didn't even have time to yell at Alec to look out before purple was shooting out of him. Towards Alec. Magnus didn’t even think about it when blue sparks came from him, blocking the purple and protecting Alec from any harm. He hoped, begged, that no one would be able to see that it was him since he was still hiding, but he didn't stop the stream of magic. He kept pushing, put all his strength into it, and Malcolm's magic was shrinking, disappearing. Magnus put one last effort into it, throwing in everything he had, and Malcolm went flying against the wall as both his own and Magnus's magic hit him.

Malcolm sank to the ground and lay there unconscious. A moment later three guards stormed the arena and carried him out. As soon as Magnus saw Alec was safe he sagged against the wall, exhausted from all the magic he’d used. 

“You have to get away, Magnus, come on. You saved him but they will come and look for the other one who used magic,” Luke, who suddenly appeared next to him, said.

“I don't think I have enough energy to move,” Magnus mumbled. A night without sleep and using magic like this was not a good combination.

“Come on, I'll help you,” Luke said. He pulled Magnus up and let Magnus lean on him as they walked. Luke brought Magnus home, away from everyone.

“Wait, Luke. Alec will ask where I went,” Magnus said, worried.

“I’ll tell him there was an emergency you needed to take care of,” Luke reassured Magnus. He laid Magnus down on his bed and helped him change into sleepwear. “Sleep now,” he said. “You've done enough for today.”

  


* * *

  


Alec still sat on the ground of the arena. He had barely moved since the whole _ thing _ had happened, whatever it was. Alec wasn't sure, he'd seen the sparks coming from Malcolm's hands and then he felt the ground being pulled away under him. What happened next was just a confusing mess of colors. 

Malcolm had raised his hands, and Alec thought he'd heard Magnus yelling from somewhere before he saw purple  _ everywhere.  _ It was coming towards him, and he couldn't do anything. But then the blue had shown up, and it had pushed the purple away. Alec had tried to see where it came from, but the light had been too blinding. He had not been able to see anything, he was just surrounded by colors. The energy grazed him, the blue one. It felt comforting, warm. Alec let the energy flow through his body, all his senses were turned off and only the warm feeling was there. Then suddenly it all disappeared. Next thing he noticed Malcolm was unconscious and being pulled away by some guards. 

He tried looking for the other one, the one the blue magic belonged to, but there was no one there. He heard his father yell out orders and commands, but he couldn't understand the words. His head was ringing, probably from the amount of energy that had been passing through him. 

“Alec! Alec, are you okay?” It was Izzy, she was standing over him with a worried look on her face. Alec tried to nod, but his head was hurting, and any movement made it worse.

“I'm fine,” He mumbled. 

“Are you sure?” Izzy asked, worried.

“Yeah,” Alec said. “Just… headache...and my butt.” Izzy chuckled.

“Well, I can't do anything about the last one, but I can ask Luke for some painkillers,” she suggested. “Come on, let's get you to your room,” she said, pulling him up and along. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Malcolm Fade is a character from the books. I haven't actually read all of them, but I read about him. I'm sorry if you read the books and feel like I messed up his character or his story, I really am. But anyway, I just felt like he fit this role.
> 
> Either way, I hope you enjoyed it as usual.


	6. Malcolm and other problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malcolm is to be executed in a day. Magnus has some questions he needs to ask him first.

After almost an entire day of sleeping Magnus finally felt normal again. The first thing he did when he managed to get out of bed was ask about Alec. Luke told him everything that had happened after he took him home. 

Alec was fine, other than a terrible headache and some bruises he hadn't been hurt. Malcolm had been taken away and was being kept in a cell for the time being. He was to be executed the next day. The king still had almost all the guards looking for Magnus, or rather the one responsible for the blue magic, but luckily no one knew it was him. “Which is why it's even more important now than ever that you don't use magic in public,” Luke ended. 

“Yes, I know,” Magnus said. “And you know I won't unless it's really necessary, like it was yesterday.” 

“Not even if Jace is being an ass?” Luke asked with an amused smile, raising an eyebrow, which caused Magnus to make an overdramatic sigh.

“Not even then,” he promised.

“Good,” Luke said. “Now, I'm guessing you want to go see Alec.” Magnus nodded. “But have breakfast first,” Luke said, handing Magnus a plate. Magnus took it gladly, he was starving. He quickly finished his plate and brought it to the sink before he rushed out of the flat to go and look for Alec. He needed to see for himself that he was alright and he was also still working for him, which required him to be there.

Magnus knocked. He usually didn't do that anymore, but he just wanted to be sure he wasn't intruding anything.

“Come in,” came Alec's voice. He sounded fine. Magnus opened the door and stepped in. Alec was sitting on his bed, his head in his hands. 

“Are you okay?” Magnus asked. Alec didn't look like he was in pain, but he needed to hear it from Alec.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Alec said. “It's just the remains of the headache.” 

“Do you want some painkillers? I could go get some in less than five minutes,” Magnus offered. He knew it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help feeling guilty. If he'd realized Malcolm was casting a spell earlier he could have done something, and Alec would never have been touched by  _ any  _ magic, his or Malcolm's. If he had just been clever enough to think of this possible reaction from Malcolm before.

“No, no, I'm fine. But thank you, Magnus. For everything. I probably wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you.”

“You're welcome. I'm glad you're not dead, and I'm happy I could help.”

“Help? Magnus, in the short time we've known each other you've already saved my life twice. So… Thank you. And don't brush it off with a joke or something, you deserve the gratitude,” Alec told him which made Magnus look away, embarrassed but he was also very happy. Happy that Alec appreciated him, happy with himself, he'd managed to save Alec. Maybe not without Alec getting hurt, but he wasn't seriously injured, it was just a headache. He had done it. 

“I know my father isn't the best with rewards, and he doesn't even know how you helped in this, but if you want something I could give you, just name it,” Alec said.

“Alexander, I didn't do this for a reward, I did it because I care about you.”

“Of course, I know that. I'm just saying, I want to repay you, show you my gratitude.”

“Well, there is something…” Magnus started, he wasn’t sure if he really should ask for that or why he wanted it but he thought it could be good.

“What? If it's possible for me to give it to you, I will.”

“Malcolm. I know it sounds weird and suspicious, but I want to talk to him.”

“Why would you want to talk to him?” Alec asked.

“I just… Would you manage that? Me and Malcolm alone for five minutes?” Alec frowned at him.

“I… yeah, I think I can make that happen. Are you sure you want to talk to him though?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then, I'll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” Magnus said with a smile. 

 

* * *

 

Alec was leading Magnus through dark corridors under the castle, the dungeons. Magnus still wasn't sure what he wanted to talk to Malcolm about, but he had to talk to him. Had to ask him who and why.  In only half a month Magnus had already taken out two threats trying to kill Alec. Malcolm was going to be executed in just a few hours, so he didn’t have much time, but he wanted to know who the leader was, to see if he could end this once and for all

Of course, this was assuming Malcolm would tell him, which he probably wouldn't. But it was worth a try. 

“Okay, we’re here,” Alec said, stopping outside a metal door guarded by two knights. Alec nodded at the guards, and one of them took out a key to open the door. 

“Don’t let him cast a spell,” The other guard said. “If it looks like he’s saying something suspicious, yell for us.” Magnus nodded, and the guard opened the door, letting Magnus in. As soon as Magnus was inside, the door was closed and locked behind him. 

Magnus looked around, the walls were dirty, there was barely any light and it smelled horrible. Magnus couldn’t identify what it was, but he wished to be out of that cell as soon as possible.  _ I could have been in a cell like this, right now,  _ he thought. And he probably would have been, if Luke hadn’t come for him.

Malcolm was on the floor, his hands were bolted to the wall, he probably couldn’t move much with the position he was in. He was looking at Magnus, purple eyes full on display, glowing.

“It’s you,” Malcolm said. Magnus frowned.

“What is me?” 

“You’re the blue one. You have the same energy. It’s  _ his  _ aura.”

“His aura? Whose aura?” Magnus asked. He was confused and he didn’t want to talk about this. He came here to talk about the reason Malcolm had tried to kill Alec and not about his  _ aura _ , but he was also curious. 

“He was there.”

“Where?” 

“In hell.”

“You know what, this is pointless. I’m going to ask you some questions and I want you to answer me,” Magnus said. “Who sent you to kill Alec?” He asked.

“She did. She wants him dead.”

“Who?” Magnus insisted. This was so difficult and frustrating. 

“The Queen.” 

“What queen? The queen is dead.”

“Not this queen.  _ The  _ queen. The queen of queens, the queen of death, the queen of hel-”

“Why does she want him dead?” Magnus interrupted. He didn’t care what she was the queen of, just where he could find her. And it gave him a weird feeling to know that he apparently had the same aura as another one who was said to have been in hell, too.

“He is the king,” Malcolm said.

“Alec’s not king, not yet,” Magnus frowned.

“He’s not just any king. He’s  _ the  _ king,” Malcolm said, like that made perfect sense.

“Wait, so  _ the  _ queen wants  _ the  _ king dead. Could you please start making sense?” 

“Everything will make sense soon enough.” This clearly wasn’t going anywhere.

“Okay, why did you try to kill Alec? What did she offer you?” He tried instead.

“She said she could bring her back,” Malcolm said.

“Who?” Magnus hated this conversation, Malcolm didn’t make any sense and he never just told him any names. One  _ her,  _ one _ him  _ but nothing that would help Magnus.

“Annabel.” Was he finally giving him a name?

“Annabel said she could bring her back?” Magnus asked, hopefully. It wasn’t much, but it was a name. But Malcolm shook his head.

“She said he could bring my beautiful Annabel back.” No, no useful name. Still just she.

“Okay, well bring her back from where?” 

“Heaven.” 

“She said she could bring back Annabel from the dead?” 

“Yes! And she can, she has the power. But I failed, and with her blood in my veins, I will never see Annabel again.” 

“Her blood in your veins?” 

“She gave me a fragment of her power. But you have more, you have  _ his  _ power. More than just a fragment, half his power. Half of his blood in your veins.” 

“ _ Whose _ blood?!” They were steering off the trail again, but what Malcolm was saying… he knew something, something about Magnus. Something Magnus would like to know.

“The Prince's.” 

“Oh, let me guess, not just any prince, but  _ the  _ prince.” Great, another person without a name or any more information. Just another title.  

“One of the seven princes.”

“Do they want Alec dead too?” Magnus asked, trying to put them back on track.

“They just want to play.”

“Play what?” 

“War.”

“War isn’t a game! Are they on  _ her _ side?”

“They’re not on any side. They’re watching everyone, playing with feelings and lives, like nothing matters… and it doesn’t. Not to them anyway.” 

“Who are they?” 

“The princes.” 

“ _ What  _ princes? Seriously, what do you want in order to give me full and simple answers?” he asked before even thinking clearly about his words. He was just too frustrated and confused. There was a queen and there were seven princes and Alec was  _ the  _ king of somewhere. Nothing made any sense to Magnus.

“I’m gonna die in a few hours. There’s nothing you can give me. All I want is Annabel.”

“I can’t resurrect someone for you.”

“Oh, you can. You have the power,  _ his  _ power. But you won’t. No, you’re young and scared and stupid, you don’t see anything.”

“Well enlighten me then. Tell me the queen’s name.”

“She will kill me.”

“You’re gonna die in two hours!”

“She will do worse.” 

“Fine. Well, I can’t do anything about your Annabel and honestly… you’re saying she’s in heaven, and that’s sad for you, but it’s a nice place for her to be, so let her have peace and please tell me something. Anything really, anything I can work with. Why does she want Alec dead? What can I do to stop that? Or who are those seven? And whose powers do I have and why?”

“You can’t stop her. She’s unstoppable. That’s why the king has to die, so she will never be stopped.”

“You mean Alec’s going to stop her?” 

“The king and the queen. One will fall and one will rise, only one can end the other.”

“So only Alec can kill the queen. And only the queen can kill Alec,” Magnus said. Malcolm nodded. “Then why is she sending other people?” Magnus asked.

“She gives us her blood. We can fool fate, that’s what she wants.  _ ‘Kill him with my blood, and it will be like I killed him,’  _ she says.”

“What about the princes, you said they’re not on anyone’s side, but they’re powerful, right?” 

“Almost as powerful as her. And you… so much power in such a small thing.”

“Yes,  _ his  _ power you said. Whose power? And if you say the prince’s again I will kill you right now,” Magnus threatened. Malcolm hesitated, but he was going to say something, maybe finally something Magnus could use. 

“His na-”

“Magnus! Are you okay?”  _ Damn it, Alec, not now!  _ Alec had yelled through the door. Magnus had kind of lost sense of time, but he must have been there for a while. 

“I’m fine. Just give me one more minute!” he called back and then looked at Malcolm again. “His name. Now.”

“Asmodeus, Prince of Edom. Your father.”

“My… my father?”

“That’s the only way you can have so much of his power. Only the eyes are missing…”

“What eyes?” 

“Unique eyes, the only ones. Yellow, glowing. Like a cat.” That’s how Luke described  _ his _ eyes!

“No, that’s not possible. My father was a coward, he ran away. He wasn’t a demon, he wasn’t a prince of hell!”

“Someone’s been lying to you, don’t trust them. You should only trust your own kind. Help me get out of here, help me get Annabel back, and I’ll be forever in your debt.”

“I’m not gonna resurrect her. That’s black magic.”

“I’ll tell you everything! No more riddles, no more half answer, I’ll give you names, places, everything I know, just help me get her back!” Magnus considered it. He couldn't make a deal with a murderer, but he could use all information he got. And Malcolm wasn’t  _ really  _ a murderer. He hadn’t actually killed Alec…

“Magnus! Are you done?” Alec was getting impatient. And probably worried too.

“Yes, just a little bit more!” Magnus answered.

“Listen… I won’t bring her back but I’ll find a way to make it possible for you to go to her and be out of the queens reach. So if you swear a blood oath that there will be no more riddles but real answers then… then I will get you out of here alive.”  

“I will, I swear. No riddles, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Let’s start right now then.”

 

* * *

 

“Magnus! Magnus, are you okay?” Alec was knocking on the door, he’d been yelling for almost two minutes, but Magnus hadn’t answered. He had been worried about this whole thing from the moment Magnus had asked him to go and be allowed to see Malcolm. Alec had trusted Magnus’s judgment and so he had made it possible. Magnus had been asking for 5 minutes but he had been in there for almost 20 now and he hadn't answered in the last two minutes. The last two times when he had called for him he'd at least given him an answer, so Alec was getting really worried. He gave Magnus one more minute to answer before he looked to one of the guards and nodded towards the door. He was going to have a look inside.

The door was opened slightly, just enough to look inside. What Alec saw was the last thing he was expecting, the thing he’d begged so hard not to happen.

Magnus was on the floor, unconscious, at least Alec hoped he was just unconscious. Malcolm was standing, his hands were free, the bolts he’d been fastened to broken on the ground. Alec unsheathed his sword. “Let him go,” he said. 

“Who, the servant? Why do you even care, just get a new one. I think I’ll keep him.”

“What did you do?” 

“Oh, don’t worry, he’s still alive. A dead servant is no fun.”

“What do you want?” Alec asked. He shouldn’t be asking him that, but he couldn’t let Magnus die. Or get captured by some crazy murderer.

“There’s not much a dead man can want. Except for not being a dead man.”

“The punishment for using magic is death, everyone knows that. You knew that when you tried to kill me. Which is also punished by death. Two crimes, two of the worst crimes, we can’t let you go free.” 

“Of course, I understand. It’s all politics, right? Rules and royalty and all that. So I keep the servant, and in two hours you’ll get him back. Maybe a more… broken version of him, but him nonetheless.” Malcolm murmured something Alec didn’t catch, and purple surrounded Magnus. It pulled him up, till he was in a standing position. “Now, if you don’t mind I would like to have some fun with my new toy before I die.”

“No,” Alec said. “I will kill you right now if you don’t give him back.” Magnus floated over to Malcolm till he was protecting him like a human shield.

“Of course, kill me. But your servant goes too,” Malcolm said. “Now, I’m just gonna go…” Malcolm said. And for some reason Alec didn’t stop him when he walked right past him. He couldn’t make himself hurt Magnus. The guards stood, they looked at Alec for orders. Alec shook his head. He couldn’t let them hurt him. Instead he just watched as Malcolm walked away with Magnus floating after him. In that moment Alec was cursing Magnus, for how stupid he had been. But he also cursed himself, that he had helped Magnus and that he was too… too in love with him to stop a murderer from fleeing prison and his upcoming execution. 

Love. Alec hadn’t actually admitted it to himself, but he realized now. In the few days he’d known Magnus he’d already managed to fall in love. Was that even possible? To fall so fast, so hard. He’d told himself how he loved Magnus’ smile, Magnus’ witty remarks, Magnus excitement to learn new things, Magnus’ pep talks, Magnus’ support, Magnus’ personality, Magnus’ body. But he’d never let himself think that he loved  _ Magnus.  _

But he did. And he’d just let a murderer take him. He knew there was nothing he could do at that moment but he followed them. He had to see where they were going. Alec knew he had to get Magnus back. He turned the corner Malcolm had turned and… ran headfirst into a brick wall. A brick wall that definitely didn’t belong there. He took two steps back and saw that there was a paper on the ground. Alec picked it up. 

_ Sorry, I will take it away once I’m far enough gone. Don’t worry, your servant is in safe hands!  _

Malcolm. “That son of a bitch!” Alec yelled. He usually didn’t use language like that, his father had always scolded him for it. But now he just couldn't hold it back. He stood there and stared at the wall for a few minutes before he gave up and went the other way back towards the castle. He didn’t know what to do but somehow he made his way to Luke’s place. It seemed like the right place to be. 

“Luke?! Are you in?” he called and knocked on the door. He heard footsteps before the door was opened.

“Alec, what are you doing here? Where is Magnus?” 

“I… Malcolm, he- he took Magnus with him and I- I couldn’t stop him, not without hurting Magnus. I don’t know where Magnus is and what he will do to him and I... I just thought you should know and I am hoping that you know what to do or that you can give me some advice,” Alec mumbled. He felt bad, he had lost Magnus and now he was telling that he had no idea where he was. At least he didn’t have to tell him that Magnus was dead, he didn't think he could do that. 

“Malcolm took Magnus with him? Why did he do that?”

“I… he wanted to make a deal. I rejected him, and then he ran away with Magnus. I should have made the deal with him, I should have-”

“Alec, you couldn't have done anything. Don't spend time thinking about how you could have been better, we have to figure out what to do  _ now.”  _ Luke said. “First of all, we have to figure out if Magnus is still alive.”

“He is,” Alec confirmed. At least that much he knew. “Malcolm wanted him alive, he said he wanted to… He didn't say exactly what he was going to do, but it's something bad, I'm not sure if there will be much of Magnus left when he's done. He's going to hurt Magnus and it's all my fault…”

“Hey, it’s not your fault. Now stop, we have to find him. What do you know about Malcolm? Where could he go?” 

“I know nothing about Malcolm! He's the representative of Edom, he used magic and tried to kill me, he… the guards said he kept babbling about some Annabel, or something, but none of this can help us!”

“Calm down, Alec, we'll find him,” Luke said soothingly. Alec looked like he was on the verge of having a panic attack.

“How are you not worried?”

“I am worried, Alec. I'm worried, terrified. But I know that that won't help us find Magnus, so I'm trying to keep my head cool. Come in and sit down, okay? Let's take a moment to calm down and collect our thoughts.” Luke waved Alec in, gesturing towards a chair for Alec to sit. “Okay, no we sit down and we breathe,” Luke said, sitting down too.

“Now, let's take everything from the beginning,” Luke said after a few minutes. “Magnus asked you if he could talk to Malcolm and you said yes. Magnus went in to talk to Malcolm and then Malcolm took him. Clearly I don't know the whole story here, so fill me in.”

“Um, okay. So I told Magnus I wanted to repay him for saving my life. He wasn't exactly the blue magic person, but he did save my life as much as whoever that was. And I told him, if there was anything he wanted that I could give to him I would. He asked for five minutes with Malcolm and… well, I figured that couldn't hurt, so I said yes. So he went to talk to him, and we locked him in, so Malcolm wouldn't escape. After five minutes I got worried so I called for him, and he answered almost immediately, asked for a few more minutes. Five minutes after that I called for him again, and he answered. Then, after that I left him in peace for almost ten minutes before I started worrying again, so I called for him again, but he didn't answer. That's when I felt something was wrong. So we opened the door, and he was unconscious on the floor, and Malcolm was somehow free of his bonds. I told him to let Magnus go, and he said he would if we let him go, I refused, and then he used Magnus as a shield and left. And I didn't do _ anything.  _ I just let him walk away, I couldn't hurt Magnus.”

“It’s okay, Alec. It’s not your fault. You didn’t know this would happen and there was nothing for you to do and stop him…. You don’t know what they could have been talking about? Why he wanted to see Malcolm?” 

“I have no idea. When I asked him he just, didn't answer… But he was sure Malcolm was following orders, and that he was sent by the same person that sent the shapeshifter.”

“Yes, he told me about that suspicion too,” Luke said.

“Maybe he wanted to ask Malcolm about that, about who was sending them. But why? Does he think there are going to be more coming? What was he planning to do?”

“I don’t know, but I have to say that it sounds a lot like Magnus, that he wanted to find out if there were more people coming after you and who is responsible for them and why,” Luke said. He knew that Magnus liked Alec and therefore he would do a lot to protect him. The way he used his magic at the tournament just proved that. 

“What if Malcolm takes him to whoever it is that is sending these killers? After what just happened he'll know Magnus is a weak spot for me, what if they use that against me? Or what if they… I don't know, brainwash him or something, and make  _ him  _ come after me?”

“Alec, calm down. They can't brainwash him, he would need to be possessed by a demon in that case. Magnus can take care of himself, and whatever they want to do, he won't let them without a fight. That might just give us enough time to find him.”

“But Malcolm has magic. What if he made a portal? They could be on the other side of the world!”

“Or they could be in a room in a tavern two streets from here. We don't know, Alec, let's not assume the worst.”

“Okay, okay. I will have the guards looking for him, search every house and every street for both Malcolm and Magnus,” Alec said, standing up. 

“Hey… I’m glad that he means this much to you. You are important for him as well. I just think you should know that, and I highly appreciate the effort you put into finding him.”

“Magnus is the best friend I've ever had,” Alec said, forcing himself to say friend because that's what they were. “The only friend, actually, the only real one. I won't lose him, I can't. I'm gonna go send out the order now,” he said before striding out of the house.

He was going to find Magnus, nothing would stop him.

 

* * *

 

“You are quite the actor,” Malcolm said, finally releasing the spell on Magnus and letting him stand up by himself.

“All I did was play unconscious,” Magnus said, brushing off the compliment. He felt bad for Alec, he had not been able to look at him but he knew that he was scaring him and he didn’t know how he was going to explain this to him later. He wanted to explain it instead of hiding it because he knew that eventually, Alec would find out. But what exactly would he say? He couldn't tell Alec he'd helped Malcolm escape, but there was no other way to explain it. He'd have to think about that later.

“So… answers now,” Magnus demanded.

“What do you want to know?” Malcolm asked.

“The questions I asked you about twenty times in the cell. Who the hell is the queen, why is Alec  _ the  _ king? Where is the queen hiding? How can I stop her? I've already guessed who the princes are, I've heard a lot about the seven princes of hell.” Now that Malcolm had mentioned Asmodeus it was quite obvious who the seven princes were, he had heard some stories about them. And if they were the princes, then the queen had to be...

“The queen is their mother, the mother of all demons, Lilith. Alec is the once and future king, destined to kill Lilith unless she kills him first. She isn't exactly hiding, she has a castle in Edom. But you can’t beat her, only Alec has any chance.”

“How is Alec supposed to kill her if she's in Edom? I'm guessing you can't just ride in there.”

“Not at all. Edom might be on the map, but it is not a part of our world. It's another dimension, the city people think it's Edom is just a glamour.”

“A glamour?” 

“A spell that makes things appear as something they're not. The same thing that hides your eyes.”

“My eyes? My eyes aren't hidden,” Magnus frowned.

“The real ones are. Mine are purple, but I glamour them as blue,” Malcolm said, and just as he said that his eyes changed color, blue. 

“But I have never glamoured anything!” Magnus said. “I don't even know how to glamour things.”

“Maybe someone glamoured them for you,” Malcolm said. “Can I?” He asked, raising a hand to Magnus’ temple. Slowly Magnus nodded. If Malcolm wanted to kill him he could have done it a long time ago. Well, not that long, but he certainly had the chance.

He closed his eyes and felt Malcolm's fingers on his temple. Malcolm's magic flowed through him until he suddenly pulled back. “There is a spell there for sure, probably as old as you,” Malcolm said. “I can remove it if you want, but it will take some time.”

“No,” Magnus said. “We don't have time. You need to tell me every single detail, and then you need to leave this place before someone finds you.”

“You promised you would help me be with Annabel!” Malcolm said. As if Magnus needed a reminder.

“And I will, I will find a way for you to be with her, but I don't have time now. Is there any way I can contact you later?” Magnus asked.

“You could send me a fire message,” Malcolm suggested.

“A what?”

“A fire message. Do you really not know what that is? It's the simplest of magic that is!”

“Yeah, well I only started actually practicing magic less than two weeks ago, so I'm not exactly an expert.”

“Oh god, okay. You really are powerful. You stopped me even though you’ve only practiced magic for two weeks…. I'll teach you how to send a fire message, which shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you. Then I can tell you whatever small detail you want to know, and then I'm getting out of here before they find me.”

“Yes. That sounds like a good plan,” Magnus nodded as he listened to Malcolm's plan. He agreed with him and thought that fire messages would be a good thing. During the following half an hour Magnus learned how to send a fire message and how to conceal them so no one would notice when he got one, since it would only expose him as someone who worked with magic.

“Good… so now that we’ve done that and I know how to contact you once I know what to do about your girlfriend. I think you should punch me or something, so it will be believable to everyone that you’ve kidnapped me,” Magnus said. He knew he should tell Alec the truth but he didn’t know how, so at first it had to look like he had been hurt by Malcolm. He also knew that he had to talk to Luke about this, especially since he had been lying to him about his father. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, come on… Make it look real so people will believe me,” Magnus requested and closed his eyes as he prepared himself to be hit or punched by Malcolm.

“Fine,” was the only response he got before he felt Malcolm hit him, both with his bare hands and with magic, which left burning streaks on his chest, arms and neck. It hurt, a lot, but he knew this was right. That this was important so he wouldn’t get exposed for helping Malcolm flee. 

“How do you feel? Because you look rather bad. If you walk back to Idris now and get a bit muddy, as if you fell down once or twice then I’m sure everyone will believe you and not question anything about me abducting you. You just have to think of a reason for why I let you go,” he said before he turned away, opened a portal and disappeared. 

It did hurt, burned. But Magnus was glad it did, he felt like he needed to hurt, he deserved it for all the stress and worry he was causing Alec and probably Luke. He needed to get back as quickly as possible, so he started walking back as soon as Malcolm vanished from the scenery. 

Soon his legs were burning, but he kept walking. He didn’t even to try and make himself fall, he stumbled over enough roots and soon got dirty and muddy.

It took Magnus about half an hour to reach Idris again, and once he saw the city he smiled sadly. Alec was there, and Luke. 

The magic that Malcolm had used to hurt him was strong, and it drained Magnus of his energy. As soon as the city was in sight he collapsed. His legs felt like they were on fire, everything felt like it was on fire. Magnus had no energy left, he couldn’t move away from his spot. 

“Hey… hey, what is wrong with you? Can I help you?” Magnus looked up when he heard a soft voice next to him and felt a small, warm hand on his shoulder. He saw a girl, she was around his age, and Magnus didn’t think he’d seen her before.

“I need… need to get Luke… the royal medic,” Magnus panted.

“Not everyone can go to the royal medic.” 

“No… but I can… I live there, please help me get to him.” The girl looked him carefully up and down.

“I'll take you there,” she finally said.

“Th...Thank you” Magnus whispered as he closed his eyes.

“You look pretty hurt, what happened to you?” She asked.

“I'll tell you later if you help me get to Luke. Please… I really need his help”

“I'll go get a horse, it's quicker that way,” she told him and then left Magnus alone. How he was supposed to get on a horse he didn't know, but he trusted her to help him. Maybe he shouldn’t, maybe he also should start to worry about Malcolm. Yes, they had to make it believable but did he really have to leave him this exhausted? The girl was back quickly and she had a beautiful, tall and dark brown horse with her. “Can you stand up? I’ll help you but you have to move as well” she told him.

“I think so,” Magnus said. He forced himself into a kneeling position. “Just… give me a hand here,” he said and the girl tried to pull him up. 

“Hey, do you need help over there?” An unknown voice asked. Magnus looked up and saw a man there, a knight. What was he doing out here? The Knights usually weren't this far outside the city.

“Yes, he's really hurt, can you help me get him on the horse?” The knight jumped off his own horse.

“What happened to him?” The knight asked.

“I don't know, he hasn't told me yet. I just found him here, almost passed out on the ground. He’s asking to be taken to the royal medic, says he lives there.”

“Wait, what’s your name?” The guard asked Magnus.

“I'm Magnus,” Magnus said. “Magnus. Bane.”

“Prince Alexander’s servant!” The knight exclaimed. Magnus nodded. “Where is Malcolm?”

“I… I don't know. He portaled away, left me.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Hey, he's hurt! Can't you interrogate him later?” The girl said.

“Okay, fine. You're right. Let's get him to the medic,” the guard said. “I'll take him on my horse, you go back to whatever you were doing.”

“I found him, I'm not gonna leave him before I know he is safe,” the girl said.

“Okay then, follow me.” The guard took Magnus and put him on the horse before getting on it himself. The last thing Magnus noticed was that they were starting to move, then he blacked out. 

 

* * *

 

Alec was pacing. He’d probably left a mark on Luke’s rug already, but he couldn’t stop, couldn’t stand still. It had been over an hour since Magnus and Malcolm had disappeared, and there was still no sign of them. He had every single knight looking for them, all over the city and the woods. He had to find them, at least Magnus. Malcolm could go free for all he cared, he just needed Magnus back.

“Alec, you need to calm down,” Luke said for the millionth time. 

“I can’t, Luke. He’s out there, and there’s nothing I can do to help him. Who knows what Malcolm’s doing to him? What if he’s torturing him?” Alec couldn’t get the images of Magnus, somewhere, hurt, begging for help, for someone, out of his head. And Alec was here, doing nothing.

“Alec, let’s not think about that.”

“How can you not think about it?!” Alec yelled. He understood why Luke wanted to stay calm, but how could he? Magnus could be out there in pain, and they were sitting around drinking tea and staying calm. “How are you so calm? I can’t stop thinking about Magnus being somewhere, alone and scared, and hurting. And I did nothing to stop it,  _ nothing.  _ And you want me to just stay calm and do nothing? I can’t, I can’t lose him.” Alec said. “I can’t, he’s… he’s-”

“Sire! Your Highness, are you in there?” Someone was knocking furiously on the door. “Luke?” the man yelled. Alec ran to open the door, desperate for  _ something.  _

“Magnus!” he exclaimed when he saw him. The knight had him thrown over his shoulder. “No...is- is he..?” Alec stammered and looked at the knight, who was shaking his head. 

“No, he’s just unconscious,” he said.

“Where did you find him?” Alec asked. He moved closer to the knight to get a look at Magnus, just to make sure he was really fine.

“He came out of the woods and collapsed on the field,” a girl said. Alec didn’t know who she was. “I wanted to help him and then this knight arrived, Sire” 

“Thank you. Tell me your name and then please wait, you shall be rewarded for your help” he said to her and then looked at the knight. “Bring him inside, Luke will have a look at him.” The guard nodded and took Magnus with him inside.

“So, what’s your name?” Alec asked again.

“My name’s Dorothea Rollins, but I really don’t need a reward, sire. I’m just happy I could help.”

“If you ever need anything I’ll owe you one. I won’t forget your name, Dorothea, anything you need, you can come to me for help. Okay?”

“Yes. Thank you, sire. Thank you very much.”

“No, thank  _ you. _ Thank you for finding him,” Alec said. “Do you want me to have someone escort you back home?” He asked Dorothea.

“No, I’ll be fine. Thank you, your highness,” Dorothea said with a small curtsy before leaving Alec alone by the door. Alec went back inside to see how Magnus was doing. The knight was standing in the middle of the room, probably unsure of what to do now that he had finished his job.

“Tell everyone Magnus has been found, but keep looking for Malcolm,” Alec said. 

“Sire, the boy said Malcolm portalled away,” the knight said. 

“Where did he go?”

“He didn’t know. But if I was him I would get as far away from here as possible.” Alec sighed.

“Okay, tell everyone they’re dismissed and to return to their usual post.” The man left with a nod, and Alec turned to where Luke was standing over Magnus, who was lying on the bed Luke had around for patients.

“How is he?” Alec asked, worried. 

“He’s far from okay, but he’s alive.”

“What did Malcolm do to him?” 

“It looks like he burned him, but these aren’t normal burns. They are magical. I’ve seen them before… all those years ago. He needs to rest a lot of that and I have to mix a salve. It won’t be easy but it should help him,” Luke said.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Alec asked. 

“You can sit down and relax. You need it. And give Magnus a week off, he’s gonna need that.”

“Of course, all the time he needs. As long as he’s okay,” Alec said. He was on his way to the door when he turned around again. “Can I stay here?” he asked quietly. He didn’t want to go and leave Magnus. He had to make sure that he was going to be fine, that he was waking up.

“Of course. Grab a chair, make some tea. You can read a book if you want.”

“Thank you, Luke. I won’t disturb you.”

“I don’t mind company if you want to talk. Magnus always talks nonstop. He always asks about whatever it is that I am doing. He wants to know everything,” Luke chuckled.

“Yeah, that sounds like Magnus,” Alec said with a small smile. “I’m so relieved that he’s alive, and that he will be okay.” 

“Me too,” Luke mumbled. “Me too.” He repeated and decided to have another look at Magnus to look for more or other injuries. 

When Luke was done inspecting Magnus and moved to the table to make the salve Alec had gone to take a look at him, too. Luke had taken Magnus’ shirt off, so the angry red streaks running up Magnus’ neck and down his arms and torso were on full display, and Alec couldn’t help but feel guilty. 

“Is he in pain?” He asked Luke. Luke looked up at Alec and then looked away.

“Yes,” he said. “But this salve will take away some of it, and I’ll have plenty of painkillers ready for when he wakes up.”

“Thank you, for taking care of him. I mean he lives with you so you would have to take care of him whatsoever but… thank you,” Alec said and looked back at Magnus. He wanted to take Magnus’s hand and hold it, but he couldn’t and he was angry at himself for even wanting that. He shouldn’t want that, shouldn’t be in love with this man. Or  _ any _ man. But here he was. And he was slowly accepting his feelings for Magnus. He just wished Magnus felt the same. He had always hoped that if he ever fell in love with someone other than Jace it would at least be with someone who could love him back.

“You’ll be okay, Magnus,” Alec whispered, not loud enough for Luke to hear. “I won’t let anything happen to you ever again. I’m so sorry.” 

 

* * *

 

“You should really go home,” Luke said, not for the first time. Alec had rarely been at the castle in the past two days since they had found Magnus, who was still unconscious. Alec had barely left his side, and he was sure Luke was desperate for some privacy, but he couldn’t leave Magnus.  _ Not yet, not before he wakes up _ . 

“I just want to be here. When he wakes up.”

“Alec, I understand that you want to be here, but you can’t abandon your duties, Magnus wouldn’t want you to do that.”

“I know, I just… I’m sorry for being annoying, but I just... Can I just stay for the rest of the day?” Alec begged. Luke hesitated.

“Okay,” He said eventually. “Just for the rest of the day.”

“Thank you,” Alec smiled and looked at Magnus, who was still just lying there. “I’m reall-” 

“Al...Alexander?” 

“Magnus? Luke!” he called and quickly looked for Luke before he turned his attention back to Magnus. “Magnus… Hey. You’re home, you’re safe. I’m here and Luke is, too,” he told him.

“Is he awake?” He heard Luke say, but Alec wasn’t listening. 

“Alec…” Magnus said. “Not… your fault. I’m sorry.” Alec shook his head.

“It’s not your fault either, Magnus. It’s Malcolm's fault,” he told him, and this time couldn’t stop himself from taking Magnus’s hand. “It’s not your fault,” he repeated and squeezed his hand a bit. He was so relieved that Magnus was awake, finally. 

Luke pushed Alec to the side to have a look at Magnus. “Here, take this,” he said, giving Magnus a glass of water and painkillers. Magnus took both things and swallowed greedily. 

“Magnus, do you need anything?” Alec asked. “Anything at all?” 

“I… food. I’m hungry.” 

“Of course,” Alec chuckled and pulled his hand back. “I’ll go and get you something. Only the best thing the kitchen has to offer today.” He quickly left the loft, leaving Magnus and Luke alone.

 

* * *

 

“Why did you lie to me?” Magnus asked immediately, as soon as Alec was out of hearing range. “About my father, why did you lie?” Luke sighed. 

“He told you?” Magnus nodded.

“He told me everything. About my father, about the prophecy, about Lilith, everything. I just want to know why you lied to me.”

“Magnus, you have to understand. Your mother didn’t realize, and when you were born, when she saw your eyes, she was scared. She asked me for help, to glamour you so no one would see. She wanted to forget all about Asmodeus, she wanted you to have a normal life, be a normal kid.”

“How could she want me to be normal? I’m half demon, Luke. My father is the prince of hell! I deserved to know that, I had the right to know!”

“Magnus…”

“No, don’t try to make up excuses. That explains everything, why I have this power, why I’ve always felt different. I had the right to know that.”

“You did, Magnus. She should have told you, but try to imagine this from her perspective. Some other person might have panicked, killed you, killed themselves. She was scared, confused, she wanted to forget. If you can’t understand then at least try to forgive her. Forgive me.”

“I… I can’t be mad at you, or her. I just… I wanted to know that.”

“I know, Magnus. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Magnus said. “The past is in the past. What’s important now is Lilith.”

“Lilith?” Luke questioned.

“Yeah, she’s the one who’s been sending these people.”

“Magnus, what exactly happened with you and Malcolm?” Luke asked.

“It’s kind of a long story. I started questioning him, but he wouldn’t give me any straight answers, and it was very frustrating. So I made a deal with him, he would tell me everything he knew if I helped him get away and…”

“And what?”

“Found a way for him to be with his dead girlfriend.”

“Did you agree to resurrect her?!” Luke exclaimed.

“What, no. I’m not that stupid, I won’t use black magic. I agreed to find a way for him to be with her, somehow.” Magnus said. He stopped for a minute to collect his thoughts before continuing. “Anyway, we made a plan to get him out, I played unconscious and he got us out, took us to somewhere in the woods. He told me everything, who and why and where, and all that. I asked him to hit me, to make my escape look realistic, and… well, that’s where all this came from, I guess he overdid it a bit,” Magnus said, gesturing at himself. “But he told me everything, so it was worth it!” Magnus assured Luke. Luke was just about to answer when the door creaked. They both looked up to see Alec standing there, looking at Magnus with shock and betrayal in his eyes.   

“Alexander… how long have you been there?” Magnus asked.

“Long enough,” Alec said. “Here is your food, enjoy it and I don’t want to ever see you again” he snapped and threw the plate onto the floor before he turned around and left Lukes flat.

“Alexander!” Magnus called and tried to stand up. But his legs were still too weak and he just fell out of the bed. “Alec! Shit, Luke. What did I do?” Magnus tried to stand up again. He had to go after Alec, explain it to him. He had to get Alec.


	7. The end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit, there are so many things happening in this chapter! It got a little bit out of hand, so it's longer than usual, but that's really nothing to complain about. Anyway, I hope you like it and please don't kill me.

“Alexander!” Magnus called and tried to stand up. But his legs were still too weak and he just fell out of the bed. “Alec! Shit, Luke. What did I do?” Magnus tried to stand up again. He had to go after Alec, explain it to him. He had to get Alec.

“Magnus, stop. You need to rest.” Luke said, pushing Magnus back into the bed.

“No, Luke. I need to explain!”

“Magnus, I'm sure he'll understand, he just needs some time to think about it. You would do no good running after him, you would end up collapsing before you even got to the door. So calm down, okay? You can talk to Alec later, when you are fully healed and he has had time to think about it.” 

“But what if he heard the part about my father? What if he's going to the king right now saying he has to execute me?”

“Does that sound like something Alec would do?”

“No…”

“While you were unconscious he spent day in day out here, waiting for you to wake up. He cares about you. He might be mad, or confused, but he wouldn't want you executed, no matter what. And he would want you to stay here, heal, before you go after him. So get back into bed and let me take a look at you,” Luke said, gentle at first but hard and demanding on the last phrase.

“Okay, okay. Fine,” Magnus mumbled.

“Good. Now let me inspect you and then I'll go get you some food.”

“I'm not hungry anymore.”

“But you have to eat nonetheless.”

“Fine... but can you please help me into my own bed and then leave me alone?” he requested. He understood that he wasn’t able to go after Alec just then, but he felt horrible and when he couldn’t talk to Alec then at least he wanted to be alone and hide from the world.

“I can. But in that case, I want you to promise me that you'll call for me if to you need anything. Okay?”

“Fine. I promise,” Magnus said. He didn't care, he just wanted to be away from everyone. Be alone and let out all the feelings he'd been holding in. Finding out his father was a prince of hell, being told he couldn't stop the person trying to kill his friend, the pain from Malcolm's magic, and now this whole Alec thing, Magnus just wanted to let til all out. Alone in his room so no one could see him at his weakest.

Luke nodded and pulled Magnus’s arm around his shoulder so he could help him up and into his room, where he sat him down on the bed. “Relax a bit and eat something,” he told him and patted his cheek. “It’s going to be fine, I promise you,” he said gently before leaving the room. 

“You don't know that,” Magnus mumbled, but Luke didn't hear him. Magnus sat back on the bed and looked at the plate of food Luke had left for him. Magnus had been starving just five minutes ago, but now he had no appetite. 

He might just have lost whatever relationship it was he had with Alec, the man he loved.  _ Love.  _ Magnus had realized just how deep his feeling were for Alec at the finale. He'd seen Alec there, on the ground, and he'd realized he would rather be executed for using magic than let Alec die. He'd realized he loved him. He'd fallen in love with Alec, all of him. Every side of him he'd had the honor to see, and he wanted to see more, learn more about him, know him better than he knew himself. But could that happen now? Or was this the end? The last chapter of their story, would it end like this? Magnus had dreamed of a fairytale love story all his life, would fate really be so cruel? 

“Shit,” he cursed and reached for a pillow to hide his face in as he cried.

 

* * *

 

How could Magnus have done that to him? Alec was devastated. When he had heard what Magnus had told Luke about playing unconscious so he could get out of prison. Magnus had helped the man who had been trying to kill Alec. “Fuck… and I cared about him, sat there for two days,” he grumbled and reached for the book that was laying next to his bed. “Fuck!” he shouted and threw the book against the wall. 

“I didn't even ask for love, I just wanted a friend! Is that too much to ask for? Am I not good enough for you?” Alec didn't even know who he was talking to, he just felt like there was someone out there trying to ruin  _ his  _ life in particular. Like Alec was some kind of toy they could play with.

As a child, Alec had dreamed he would get a love story like the ones his father told him, where everyone lived happily ever after. He'd abandoned that idea when he realized it would never happen. The stories were always about a prince and a princess, a princess and a farmer, a prince and a damsel in distress. But never about a prince and a prince, or a prince and a knight, or a prince and a servant… So Alec had thrown away the idea, it would never happen. 

But he'd just accepted that he wouldn't have any love story, he hadn't prepared himself for a tragedy. Hadn’t prepared for  _ this.  _ For falling in love and being friends with this man only to get so hurt, to get  _ cheated _ on. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of his body. “Damn it, it’s only a little over two weeks, pull yourself together,” he told himself and slapped his cheeks to clear his head. Well, to attempt to clear his head, because the reality was that it didn’t help at all. It only made his cheeks sting a little.

Magnus had _ betrayed  _ him. Alec had trusted him with everything, with his own _ life,  _ and Magnus had helped the man who tried to kill him run away. Alec could have him thrown in prison for betrayal, or even get him executed. But he didn't want to. Magnus had taken over his heart and broken it, in half a month, and Alec still couldn't bring himself to do that. Hurt Magnus, in any way, Alec didn't ever want to do that, didn’t even want to think about it. He wanted Magnus to be happy. Even if he had to be the one suffering for it.

“Hey, Alec!” he heard Izzy call him from the other side of his door. 

“What?!” he snapped, he didn’t want to talk to her, or anyone. But he opened the door anyway.

“Hey. I just heard that Magnus woke up and I also heard how you were cursing. Loudly. And you threw some stuff around, so… what happened?” she asked as she stepped into his room.

“Nothing,” Alec mumbled. He knew Izzy wouldn't stop till he told her, but he didn't want to.

“Alec, it's obviously something. You know you can tell me, it helps to let it all out sometimes.” Izzy said and took Alec's hand, pulling him with her to the bed. “Whatever it is, it's okay.”

“It's not  _ okay,  _ Izzy. He betrayed me. I trusted him with everything and he betrayed me.”

“What are you talking about? What did he do? And who?” 

“Magnus. I overheard him. They thought I was out, and Magnus was telling Luke about how he helped Malcolm escape. It was all just a setup to get him out.”

“Alec, that doesn't make sense,” Izzy said.

“What do you mean it doesn't make sense? It makes perfect sense. Magnus is not who I thought he was, it's that simple!”

“But if he didn't want Malcolm to end up in a cage then why would he help you in the first place?”

“I don't know, Izzy. Does it really matter?!”

“Alec, we don't know all the facts, there might be something here that we're missing. You can't assume something without knowing everything.”

“I don't need to know everything. All I need to know is that he betrayed me. I loved him and he betrayed me,” Alec said, only realizing what he'd said seconds later. About the same time Izzy realized it.

“You loved him?” She asked.

“Love,” Alec mumbled. “I still do, I still love him.” 

“Alec, you have to do something.”

“Do what?”

“Talk to him, you need to talk and understand each other, you need to hear him out and  _ then  _ judge him. And you really need to talk to him about what you're feeling.”

“No. I can't. If I tell him about how I feel that will be the end of our friendship.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because he's straight, Izzy! And he'll be weirded out if I tell him, and he'll never want to see me ever again.”

“You are so convinced of that, but what if it's not true? Even if he isn't in love with you, or wants you, what makes you think he'll never want to see you again?”

“I… Maybe I told him I wouldn’t want to ever see  _ him  _ again,” Alec admitted.

“You  _ what?!  _ And you say he wouldn't want to see you again when you're the one who told him that. You fix that, Alexander. You two need to talk it out before I lock you in a closet together.” She threatened. She stood up to leave, but stopped before she opened the door. “You fix that, or I won't forgive you. Nor you yourself,” she said before opening the door and closing it loudly behind her, leaving Alec alone yet again.

_ Is she right?  _ He wondered. Was she? Maybe Magnus did have a good excuse, a good reason. But then why hadn’t he told him? And what could ever justify letting a murderer go free? No, there couldn’t be. Fate had been sending some mixed signals, but this was its final call. Or maybe it was punishing Alec, for letting himself fall in love, for being so stupid.

Alec cursed again. Cursed himself, cursed Magnus, cursed these feelings he so desperately wanted to make go away, cursed his whole existence.

“Fuck this,” Alec said. “Fuck all of this.” He stood up, he needed to do something. Something to get his mind off Magnus. Like punching something, that always worked. 

 

* * *

 

A few hours later Luke came to Magnus’ room. Magnus was asleep, the plate on his bedside table untouched. Luke closed the door carefully behind him as he entered the room. He needed to reapply the salve covering most of Magnus’ body. 

The spell Malcolm had hit Magnus with was one of the easiest combat spells, it had been used a lot during the war, so Luke knew what he was dealing with. The spell was made to have two effects, the first immediate one was the burns, and the second, longer lasting effect, was the draining of energy. The victim would over time lose most of its energy, and if whoever cast it was strong enough, the victim could end up dead. Luckily Malcolm hadn’t put that much power into it, although Luke had been worried until Magnus woke up.

Luke started gently reapplying the salve. It was cold, so it had a soothing effect on the burns. It was supposed to keep the burns clean and at the same time help them heal. If Magnus was lucky, they would be barely visible scars by the end of the week and be completely gone in a month. 

Other than the burns there had been a few bruises, and his palms and knees were scraped, probably from making his way through the woods.  

Luke wished there was something he could do to protect Magnus from his fate, to shield him from the world. But he couldn’t. It was already written in stone, and fate had chosen two people, barely more than teenagers, to do all the dirty work. The only thing Luke could do was help Magnus. And Alec. He had a feeling there would be lots of trouble coming their way. 

“I’ll always be here, Magnus. Whatever you need me for, I’ll be here,” Luke promised. He’d started to feel for Magnus like a son, and he’d be damned if he let anything happen to him. 

 

* * *

 

“ _ Magnus.”  _ Magnus was shaken awake. It was that damned voice again. And it came exactly when Magnus couldn’t follow it! It was the first night since he woke and he just wanted to sleep, but he was also curious about that voice, especially since he felt like he had heard it all the time while he was unconscious. But was that the truth or had he imagined it all? Anyway, now he had definitely heard it and it had woken him up so he wanted to know where it came from. “What do you want? Who are you?” he whispered and hoped for an answer. He knew he wouldn’t get one. After all, the voice only came when he was sleeping. He sighed and decided to close his eyes and sleep. He was still energyless and knew that sleep would help him, and it might bring the voice back.

 

* * *

 

Magnus spent two days in bed before Luke gave him permission to go further than to the bathroom. The third day, five days after the encounter with Malcolm, Luke allowed him to walk around in the house while he himself was out collecting ingredients and herbs he needed to restock.

Magnus was alone in the loft. He was sitting in Luke's armchair. At first, he'd thought of sneaking out and go find Alec, but he was already exhausted by the time he reached the living room, and not even Magnus was stupid enough to think he could walk all the way to the castle. He would probably end up passing out halfway down the stairs.

There was a knock at the door, but Magnus didn't feel like he could make it that far, so he just yelled, “come in!” The door was opened slowly and revealed a beautiful girl with dark brown hair and eyes.

“Hey,” Magnus said, trying to stand up but not really succeeding. “Are you one of Luke's clients?” He asked the unknown girl. “He’s not here right now, but I cou-”

“I'm actually here to see you,” the girl interrupted.

“Me…? why? Sorry, do- do I know you?” Magnus asked, he was confused because he felt like he should know her, but he just couldn’t place the memory.

“You probably don’t remember, you were pretty out of it, but I’m the one who found you. You know, when you passed out in my field.” And suddenly Magnus remembered her. She was the one, the girl who’d found him, the girl with the horse.

“Yes, I remember you,” Magnus said. “Thank you.”

“No need, Prince Alexander has already thanked me enough. And it was my pleasure, really. I’m just glad I could help, and I came to see if you were alright. I was rather worried about you.” 

“Oh… well yeah, I am a lot better now and I’m glad that Alec thanked you but really, you saved my life so, do you want something to drink? Or something to eat? I am not sure what we're having but I can go and have a look.”

“No, no, don’t worry. I’ve already eaten, I only came here to check on you. I wanted to know how you were doing, you left me quite scared the other day. I came by the day after I found you, but you were still unconscious,” The girl said. 

“Oh. Well, thank you for worrying. I’m getting better, Luke says I’ll be fine in a few days,” Magnus said. “What’s your name, by the way?” He asked the girl, only then realizing they never really got to that part. 

“I’m Dorothea. Dorothea Rollins,” she said with a smile and held out her hand for Magnus to shake.

Magnus smiled and shook her hand. “Magnus Bane. Nice to meet you,” he told her and then looked at her a bit more careful. She was pretty and she seemed nice, maybe he should befriend her? She cared about his well being so that was a nice start. “I know you said you already ate, but would you like to stay for tea or something?” Magnus asked. “I would like to get to know the girl who saved my life.”

“Sure,” Dorothea said. “I don’t have anywhere I need to be.” Magnus smiled and stood up, managing it this time. Now he just had to make his way to the kitchen. 

“Are you okay?” Dorothea asked. 

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just gonna make us something to drink.”

“Do you need help to get there?” Dorothea asked. Magnus shook his head. He could do this alone, he could manage that. It took him a while but he eventually ended up in the kitchen. He filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove before he searched for two mugs and placed some tea leaves into small bags which he placed in the mug. “But I think I could use your help to get them back into the living room,” he admitted. He didn’t like that thought, but it was the truth and he would rather ask for help then drop the cups and break them while the tea landed on the floor. 

“Of course. You shouldn’t push yourself too much so soon after being hurt,” Dorothea said, taking the mugs and going back to the living room, Magnus following as fast as he could. They both sat down on the couch and placed the mugs on the coffee table. “Do you mind if I ask what happened?” Dorothea said. “I know about the whole Malcolm Fade thing, but how did you get away? You don’t have to answer that of course, if it makes you uncomfortable or…”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind telling you, and you kinda deserve to know since you saved my life. Well, you know that he… bewitched me, and used me as a shield to get out of prison… he took me to the woods, and I don’t really know what happened then but at one point he just threw a spell at me or something and then disappeared… I guess he just didn’t need me any longer and we were far enough away so he could just leave me there… maybe he expected me to die because of his spell…. Anyway I made my way through the woods and ended in your field and you are the one who remembers what happened next.” 

“That’s awful. People like him are the reason magic is banned.”

“Yeah,” Magnus said. “Do you ever wonder how this world could have been if the war never happened, if magic was never banned?” He asked. He didn’t know why, but it was something he thought about. And he wanted to talk about it with someone else, to share his thoughts.

“I do actually. Often,” Dorothea said. “My mother was executed for using magic when I was a child, I’ve always wondered what she’s like. I guess if the war had never happened I would have gotten to know her.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.” 

“It’s okay. I’ve made my peace with it. I mean I don’t know it any other way so… yeah.”

“Still, no one should go through life without a parent. I never knew my father myself, so I know what I’m talking about.”

“What happened to him?”

“I… don’t know. He left my mom before I was born so I know nothing about him” he said. He felt bad for the lie but he didn’t know her that much so he didn’t think he could tell her all about his father and the seven princes of hell. So he decided to go with what he had believed for the past 19 years of his life.

“Oh. I guess it’s even worse to not know why someone left than to grow up knowing my mother was killed.”

“Do you ever feel mad? Mad at that world for being so cruel, mad at the king for forbidding magic, just… mad.”

“I do, sometimes. I feel like everything is against me, like nothing wants me to succeed. But I just have to go on in spite of it. As should you,” Dorothea said. They quickly changed subject to something nicer, to a lighter mood. They talked about experiences, books, places, dreams and everything else they could think of. The mugs got empty and they went to refill them before continuing their conversation. Hours later Luke came home to see them both on the couch, talking and laughing and smiling. 

“Hello. Magnus, is this the young girl who found you?” he asked and stepped closer to them to greet her. “I’m Luke, nice to meet you again. I’m very thankful that you found Magnus,” he said and shook her hand. “Do you plan on staying longer? I mean it’s getting dark outside so you should probably get home soon.”

“Very nice to meet you too, Luke. I’m Dorothea. I hadn’t actually noticed, time passed so fast! But I should be getting home. It was nice talking to you, Magnus. I hope we can meet again soon.”

“Yes, we should. You can come by anytime, and we can talk some more!”  

“Great, I look forward to seeing you more, Magnus,” She said with a smile. Magnus smiled back as she closed the door behind her, leaving Magnus and Luke alone in the living room. 

“So… I can see that you’ve had something to drink but what about dinner? Are you hungry?” Luke asked. Magnus nodded. “Good, I brought some food from the market. You can set the table while I prepare it, if you think you can manage.”

“I can,” Magnus said. He’d managed to make tea, he could set a table. 

“Do you want to tell me if she is just a friend or more?” Luke asked with a small grin. Magnus blushed. The truth was, he liked her, she was nice, clever, and beautiful. But Magnus was in love with Alec. But he had to move on from Alec, Alec would never want him and he had not seen him since he had woken up, so Alec clearly had meant it when he had told him he never wanted to see him again. Dorothea, on the other hand, had been flirting with him on multiple occasions, she was someone Magnus could actually end up with.

“I… I am not sure yet, but I think maybe she might be more…” Luke smiled.

“In that case, I’m happy for you Magnus. You deserve someone to be happy with.”  _ But she’s not the one I really want.  _ Magnus wanted to say. But he didn’t, instead, he just smiled and nodded. He had to get over Alec, and the only way to do that was to meet someone new. 

“Thank you. She is really nice and I… I rather like her, I think,” he said and forced himself to smile. It wasn’t a lie, he did like her, but it was difficult. 

 

* * *

 

Alec was miserable, the past few days he had spent every moment training, sparing with some knights or Jace, sometimes Izzy. He also trained with his bow until his fingers were bleeding, he just had to find something to stop thinking about Magnus. 

He’d lost count of the number of times he’d caught himself on the way to Magnus’ loft, just to remember he couldn’t go there. He couldn’t see Magnus, he didn’t  _ want  _ to see Magnus. At least that was what he told himself day in, day out, while he kept himself busy until ungodly hours in the morning, only to wake up a few hours later and repeat the same thing. He was running purely on adrenaline and pain. Whenever he stopped, his mind was flooded with thoughts of Magnus, and he couldn’t take it. He would rather exhaust himself to death than cry himself there.

He shouldn’t be like this. Not after just two weeks, not because of a man. That was what was running through his head as he shot arrow after arrow, straight to the bullseye. His fingers were sore, the wounds from the day before had barely closed, but Alec welcomed the pain. It felt nice compared to the one that was raging through his heart. He was too lost in his task to notice Izzy who came up onto the field.

“Alec! Alec, what is wrong with you?!” She yelled, pulling the bow out of his hands as soon as she was close enough. 

“Izzy, you’re gonna damage it-” Alec mumbled. 

“You don’t seem to care about damaging yourself, so why should I care?” She yelled, but she put the bow carefully on the ground before taking Alec’s hand in hers. “You’re bleeding again! And your knuckles are bruised, Alec you need to stop!” Alec pulled his hand out of her grip.

“I’m fine, Izzy,” He said. 

“Yeah, and pigs fly too now.”

“Izzy-”

“You are not  _ fine,  _ Alec. Not even remotely so, and anyone who knows you can see it. Do you think Magnus would want you to do this to yourself?” 

“Magnus doesn’t care, Izzy! He doesn’t care about me, and he doesn’t care about anyone. He wouldn’t have let a murderer go free if he did.”

“Alec-”

“No, Izzy! Stop it. You don’t care. He doesn’t care, nobody cares. So why should I? What difference does it make?” Alec picked his bow up from the ground. “Don’t follow me,” He said before turning around and walking away. She yelled after him, but she didn’t follow.

Alec went to the stables. His horse was there, Shadowhunter. A pitch black mustang, one of the few in the kingdom. He had been a gift from his father on Alec’s 15th birthday, and Alec loved him like a friend. There was something about Shadowhunter, like he understood what Alec was saying, like he always knew what Alec needed. Shadowhunter was actually the one who’d found the clearing Alec now loved. It had been a few days after his 18th birthday, and he had been completely devastated about something, he couldn’t remember what. He’d galloped out of the city, and then let Shadowhunter take the steering. They had ended up in that clearing. 

“Hey, Shadowhunter,” Alec whispered. He was still awake despite it being almost midnight. “Hey, wanna go out for a ride?” He asked. Shadowhunter nighed, and Alec smiled. 

“I love you,” Alec said, kissing the horse’s muzzle. “I love you,” he repeated. He moved to the stable walls, where all the equipment was hanging, and moved on to prepare Shadowhunter for a ride. He needed to get out of the city, away from everyone, he needed to be alone. He knew it was probably not the safest thing but he needed to think, about the past few days and what he wanted to do next. What he expected from Magnus and what he expected from himself.

He let Shadowhunter lead the way as soon as he was in the saddle. He didn’t know where he wanted to go, but Shadowhunter would always take him to the right place. He sat tall on the horse, and the knights guarding the entrance to the city looked weirdly at him when he rode out, but they didn’t stop him. 

As soon as Alec was out of view he fell together on the horse’s back. He buried his face in the soft mane, taking in the familiar smell that always calmed him, but had no effect this time. “Take me somewhere nice, Shadowhunter, far away from here,” he whispered. The horse neighed again before breaking into gallop, taking Alec far away from everyone and everything. And as exhausted as Alec was, the up and down of the horse slowly lulled him to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Dot, she had told Magnus to call her that, came by again the next day. They spent the day in Magnus’ room, since Luke was home. They talked about everything and nothing and Magnus got more and more comfortable around her. She was awesome, and Magnus enjoyed spending time with her even after just knowing her for a day. And she even got his mind off Alec...

Magnus had spent pretty much all the time he was awake thinking about Alec, about what he could tell him, wondering if he really meant it when he said he never wanted to see him again, wondering if that meant he was fired, wishing things were different. But Dot actually made him think about something else, even if just for a few seconds. 

“Hey, Magnus. Magnus?” Dot said, trying to get his attention.

“Hm, yeah, sorry. I zoned out.” 

“Yeah, I noticed. I said I have to go soon, but I would like to meet you again,” Dot said. She looked nervous.

“Yes, of course. I would love to meet you again!”

“Yes, but I was thinking about meeting somewhere more… I don’t know, like a tavern or something.”

“Like a date?” Magnus asked.

“I… yeah. If you want to, of course.” Magnus thought about it. He’d already given it some thought the day before. Dot was beautiful, funny, nice, clever, talented, anything Magnus could look for in a girl. And she had just asked Magnus on a date. How could Magnus turn that down? It didn’t matter that he was in love with Alec, he could forget about that. Alec didn’t want him anyway, so why should he keep wanting him? No, he needed to forget Alec. And Dot was a perfect way to do that.

“I would love to go on a date with you,” Magnus said eventually. And he didn’t get why he was feeling guilty, he wouldn’t spend all his time wanting someone who could never want him back. He was going to move on.

“That’s great! I guess it will take a bit longer. I mean you are a lot better now but I don’t want to rush you, so I could just visit you a few more times and when you are fit enough to go out, well then we will go out. Erm, do you have any idea where to go? I’ve heard the tavern near the market should be nice. They have great food.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about that tavern too. Luke says I should be fine to leave the house in two, three days, and I’m desperate to get out of here, so how is Sunday for you?” 

“Sunday works. But are you sure you’ll be fine by then? Healed enough to go all the way to the tavern?” 

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Okay, I’ll see you on Sunday then. Around seven?” Magnus nodded.

“Yeah, that works.”

“Great! See you then, Magnus. Bye.”

“Bye, Dot,” Magnus said. The door to his room was closed and he was left alone, although not for long. Luke came bursting in barely a minute later with a grin on his face.

“She looked very happy, did anything happen here?” Magnus blushed.

“What? No. I… I have a date.” 

“A date? When?” 

“Sunday. So I need to be walking by then,” Magnus said. 

“Of course. You’ll be up and walking perfectly by then. I’ll go get the salve so we can reapply it,” Luke said, heading for the door. 

“Hey, Luke,” Magnus said, remembering something Isabelle had mentioned. “Isabelle said something about… um, nail polish, I think she called it, to color your nails. Do you happen to have any?” He asked. He’d been meaning to ask for a while, but there was always something more important that needed to be done. Now he remembered it, and it would be perfect for the date. 

“I do have some yes, do you want me to bring it?” Magnus nodded, and Luke smiled before leaving his room, coming back a minute later with salve and nail polish in his hands.

 

* * *

 

“Alec! Where the hell have you been?!” Izzy yelled at him. He was just outside the stables to put Shadowhunter in again, but Izzy positioned her in front of the door. 

“Let me in, Izzy,” Alec said, not wanting to argue with her.

“No. No, you don’t get to be an idiot and then walk around making demands. You might be the prince, but I don’t take orders from you.” 

“Izzy, I really don’t want to do this right now,” Alec said, trying to push past her. 

“Well, that’s too fucking bad. You never want to do it, so it’s not like I can leave it up to you. You are going to talk to me right now, and you’re not going to leave before I say you can. Do you understand me?”

“Yes...Yes, I understand you,” he sighed. “What exactly do you want me to talk about? I mean you already know everything.” 

“I know a few facts. You overheard Magnus saying he helped Malcolm run away, and now you’re convinced he never cared about you and you’re taking your heartbreak out on yourself. And now you disappeared for half a day. Where were you?” 

“I… I’m not actually sure. I fell asleep, slept until just an hour ago, and then Shadowhunter took me back. He’s been running all night and he must be exhausted, could you please let me take him in and let him get some rest?” 

“Fine,” Izzy sighed. “But we’re gonna continue this conversation as soon as he’s been taken care of,” She said, giving him space to take Shadowhunter into the stable. Alec took off all the equipment and filled the food bowls with plenty of water and food. He brushed his hand through Shadowhunter’s mane and whispered “thank you,” to him before leaving the stable. Izzy was waiting for him outside when he left the stable again. “So...”

“I know the facts, Alec, but I don’t know what you’re feeling. I want to know, I want to help you, but you need to tell me.” 

“You already know, I’m mad at him for betraying me, that’s all.”

“If you were  _ just _ mad you wouldn’t be doing all this. If you were just mad then why did you spend an entire night in the training room crying? You’re not mad, Alec. You’re sad. And I don’t want you to be, so you need to let me help you.” 

“There’s nothing you can do, Izzy. No one can do anything. You told me you believed in fate, well this is what fate has planned for me.” 

“Alec, you can’t believe that. Things are gonna get better for you, and I know it seems like happiness is unreachable, but it’s not. It’s not, and you will have it, I know it. Don’t stop believing.”

“You can’t stop believing if you never believed in the first place.”  

“Well, that’s a lie. You did believe. You fell in love in two weeks! And now you haven’t seen him for 4 days. You have to talk to him. Alec, you don’t know why he helped Malcolm. You have to talk about that.”

“I can’t face him, Izzy. I can’t even think about him!”

“Why not?” 

“I’m ashamed, Izzy.”

“What are you ashamed of?” 

“Of myself, Izzy. Of what I’m feeling, of what I said to him, how I reacted. I mean it is a perfectly valid thing to be upset about, but maybe - and that’s only if you are right - maybe I overreacted when I told him never want to see him again.”

“You did, Alec. Which is why you need to fix it. You have to talk to him, and you have to understand why he did it. Maybe he really is an idiot, and in that case, you reacted just fine, but if there was a reason, then you need to apologize to him, and you need to make it better. Both of you. You hear me?”

“Yes. I do, but Izzy… I don’t think I’m strong enough. I don’t think I’m brave enough. What if... What if he had a reason and now he hates me or what if he didn’t have a reason and is just an ass? Which one would be worse? And what would I do, if I went to apologize and he just slammed the door in my face? He would have the right to do that, but I don’t know what I would do.”

“Alec, he wouldn’t do that. I’ve only had one proper conversation with him, but I know he wouldn’t do that,” she told him and reached for his arm. “I understand that you are hurt and confused, but you need to talk about it. I told you I will never forgive you if you don’t talk to him and I mean it,” she threatened. “I will constantly remind you that you have to talk with him, till the day you actually do it.”

“Izzy… why? Why can’t you just be weirded out by my problems like any other, normal sister would be?”

“Because I care about you, Alec. And most normal brothers have a father or a mother to do that, but mom isn’t here, and dad couldn’t care less about your feelings, so someone has to do it.”

“I… thank you. Thank you for caring,” Alec mumbled, blinking back tears that were threatening to fall. Not bad tears, he was just  _ happy,  _ overwhelmed, that his sister cared so much for him. 

“Of course, Alec. I will always care. And I will always love you, no matter what, no matter how big of an idiot you are. I will always be here for you.” Alec smiled at her, wiping away the tears he couldn’t stop from falling. 

“I love you,” He said, embracing his sister in a tight hug. 

“I love you too, Alec,” Isabelle answered, the words getting muffled by Alec’s shoulder. “You have three days to talk to him or I will do it for you,” she told him.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll do it. I can do it.” Izzy pulled back from the hug.

“That’s the spirit,” She said, smiling. She took his hand to pull him with her to his room. “Come on,” She said, pulling him along. “I’ve barely talked to you for almost an entire week, I want to spend some time with you.” Alec smiled and let her pull him along. She took them both to Alec’s room, where she sat down on the bed. 

“You should have that checked,” She said, gesturing to the hand she’d just been holding. It was bruised from hours at the punching bag, and the fingertips were scarred from all the hours he’d spent shooting arrows. 

“I’m fine. I’ll ask Luke to look at it when I go talk to Magnus.” 

“Are you sure you’re fine? It’s not hurting, is it?” 

“No, Izzy. I’m okay, really.”

“Good, then I want to show you this ne-” A loud knock on the door interrupted her. 

“Alexander? Your Highness, are you in?” Alec sighed.

“Sorry, Izzy. It’s gonna have to wait for later,” He said. “Yes, come in!” he called to the man standing outside the door. A servant stepped inside.

“Your father wants to talk to you, your highness,” He said. “He is waiting in his office.” The servant bowed and exited the room.

“I’m coming with you,” Izzy said, following him out of the room. 

“What, Izzy, no. He requested me, we don’t want him to get mad.”

“Alec, you’ve spent five days doing nothing, he’s already mad. I’m gonna be there for you and support you if he wants to yell at you. You don’t have a choice in this.” Alec sighed again.

“Fine, come along then,” He said. They made their way to the king's office together.

“Alexander, Isabelle,” Robert greeted them when they entered the room. “You are not supposed to be here,” he commented.

“No, but Alec and I were just on our way to training when we were called here, so I figured I could join him instead of having to wait alone by the field.”

“A princess like you shouldn't even be in the fields, nor should you assume things. But you can stay, might as well share the news to both of you at the same time.” 

“What news?” Izzy asked immediately.

“Keep your voice down, young lady. A princess shouldn't speak up to a king.”

“What news, father?” Alec asked in a softer tone.

“I've found you the perfect wife, you are to be married in a few months.”

“What?!” Both Alec and Izzy exclaimed at the same time.

“You can't do that, that was supposed to be Alec's choice!” Izzy yelled.

“Your brother has been meeting women since he was fifteen, and he still hasn't found anyone that interests him. If I don't take matters into my own hands this kingdom will he left with no heritage! Now, Alec is a nice young man, and there are lots of women taking interest in him, and I'm sure that if he tries hard enough he will manage to fall in love. But he will marry Lydia Branwell, she is a princess of the Londistute Kingdom from a few miles away. She is beautiful, intelligent and talented. She will be the perfect wife for you and you two will get along perfectly. If not, then nobody cares if you have a mistress or two or a hundred, as long as she gives birth to at least one of your kids, I will be satisfied and the crown will stay in the family.”

“You can't make him do that! You can't make him-”

“Izzy! Stop, he's right. I have to marry someone, sooner or later. And this Lydia sound pretty nice,” Alec said. Then he turned to Robert. “Will I be able to meet her before the wedding?” He asked.

“Of course,” his father said. “She will come and visit us in a week to meet you and to officially announce the engagement, I expect all of you to treat her well,” he said with a pointed look at Izzy. “And she will be coming to live with us a week before the wedding.”

Izzy was fuming, she looked like she was seconds away from jumping on Robert and cutting his throat. Alec took her hand and squeezed it, a silent request for her to stay quiet.

“I will marry Lydia if it is your will, father,” he said.

“Good, it's easier for all of us this way. You are dismissed, and feel free to inform Jonathan about this.” Alec nodded and pulled Izzy out of the room with him. 

“Alec you can't let him do this!” Izzy said as soon as they were outside the room. Alec hushed her and pulled her along. He closed the door to his chambers before letting go of her hand. Unsurprisingly, she immediately started yelling.

“How could you agree just like that?! Alec, he's not the leader of you, you have your own free will, your own life. You can't do everything for the benefit of the kingdom.”

“No, but you don't understand! He's right. I've been denying wife's since I was fifteen. I'm gay, Izzy, I'll never have kids, not if I get to choose someone. And the kingdom needs a heritage, and we need a powerful kingdom to rely on. This marriage could give us both of those things.”

“But you'd be offering your happiness! What's the point then? We can be the most powerful kingdom of all, but it's not worth anything if you're not happy.”

“I never will be happy anyway. I am love with a man who I’m currently not even talking to! How is this supposed to work? And- and if for some reason this ever should become a thing then… well, I can have a mistress or two or one hundred and nobody would care, so I- so I could just as well have a male lover…. As long as I have a kid and don’t let anyone know I’m gay.” 

“But it wouldn't be the same. Being married to Lydia won't just be a contract, she'll be sleeping in your bed, living with you, you would need to have sex with her, Alec. It wouldn't just be a contract, it would change your entire life,” Isabelle said.

“Yeah, well may-”

“Hey, guys, what's up? I heard yelling,” Jace said, poking his head through the door.

“Dad wants Alec to get married,” Izzy said.

“That's hardly anything new, Izzy. Dad's been looking for a wife for Alec for years.”

“No, Jace. Dad has found Alec a wife, and he wants him to get married in just a few months.”

“What?! Alec, did you agree with this?”

“I said yes…”

“Because he thinks the kingdom is more important than his happiness.”

“Damn, Alec. Did Magnus boil your water too much and you burned away every brain cell?” Jace asked.

“No, it's just a fact. You wouldn't understand, none of you can understand! If you had been in my position you could have, but you don't. And you can't make my decisions for me. I'm getting married, end of the story.”

“Jace, you have to help me convince him that this is madness!” 

“Alec, what exactly are the benefits of you getting married? Okay, so maybe she's hot, but after a while looks won't be enough. And you're not in love with her, you've never even met her! Marrying her would be crazy. You would be unhappy, everything would be awkward, no more one night stands for you, it would be sad. And the only thing you would get is an alliance and some children. Which you don't need, mine and Izzy's could always take over,” Jace said.

“Jace, I've never had a one night stand, I don't want a one night stand, and it wouldn't be awkward, just in the beginning. And I know you and Izzy won't marry anyone, so you won't have any kids.”

“Who says we won't marry anyone?” Izzy asked.

“Well, I'm sure you'll marry  _ someone,  _ but not someone of royal blood. And you know the laws here, if a child is only half royal it is not suited for the throne. One of many stupid laws this kingdom has. And neither of you are gonna marry some royal person. I mean, Jace had been hooking up with servants!”

“Hey, and Clary I were a one-time thing!”

“So why do you keep meeting up in the middle of the night?” Alec asked. Jace blushed. “It's fine, Jace. Clary is an awesome girl, but that just proves my point,” he said.

“You could always change the law,” Izzy suggested. “You become king, and then you change the law so all children of royal blood can become heir to the throne, even if it's just half royal.”

“But I have to become king first in order to do that and I will never become king if I am not married. To a woman. And have kids. So could we all please accept this? In a few months I will marry this Lydia B-something and then have kids at some point in the future,” he told them. He actually heavily doubted he’d be able to get her pregnant, but that would be a problem for the future.

“We shouldn't accept this,” Izzy said. “But if you absolutely want to do it then fine, I won't stop you from ruining your life.”

“Thank you. I will need your help. I mean… with clothes and other things. I know nothing about women,” he sighed and flopped down on his bed. He wished he could talk to Magnus about that, which was total nonsense, but he couldn’t help himself.

“I can help you!” Jace chimed in. “I know lots about woman, they love me.”

“Thanks, Jace. But I'm not trying to seduce her, I'm trying to look like an acceptable man.”

“You are, Alec,” Jace said, all serious now. “You're a great man, the best man I've ever known, and I've known me, so that says a lot. And Lydia will love you. I just wished you wouldn't give your happiness away for this marriage.”

“I'll still be happy, Jace. I have you two, right?” He said, pulling both Izzy and Jace in for a hug. They both hugged him tightly back, and much to Alec relief they didn't argue any further.

 

* * *

 

Sunday morning Magnus was actually excited to get out of bed. He was going to meet Dot again. But for a date…  _ which I will enjoy, because she is everything I want in a girl, _ Magnus told himself. He loved spending time with Dot, and this would be no different.

But he couldn't help but feel like he was using her, using her to forget about Alec, to convince himself he could do just fine without him. She didn't deserve that, to be used like that. But he was going to go on this date, and if he didn't enjoy it he could tell her and they could go back to being just friends. 

Magnus stood up, which he could do now without any difficulty and without wincing in pain. He made his way to the kitchen and found Luke there, already preparing breakfast for both of them.

“Hey,” Luke said when he noticed Magnus. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

“I'm great. I feel excellent,” Magnus said.

“That's good. It's your big day today, right?” Magnus blushed.

“It's not like I'm getting married, Luke. It's just a date, stop making so much out of it.” Luke just chuckled.

“Have some breakfast,” he said, handing Magnus a plate. 

“Thanks,” Magnus said, sitting down at the table and waiting for Luke to come join him before he started eating. 

“She's a nice girl, Dorothea,” Luke said.

“Yeah, she is.” They both ate in silence again until Magnus spoke up. “Hey, Luke…” he started. Luke nodded and smiled, encouraging him to go on. “How do you know if you like someone... more than friends?” Magnus asked.

“Hmm… well, first of all you need to find out if that person is someone you could fall in love with. And you have to see, what it feels like to kiss that person, or to be kissed by them? Is it something you would like to do more? What does it feel like to see that person with someone else? Are you attracted to that person? Relationships don’t always come from attraction, but it sure gets them started. A lover is like your best friend, Magnus. A lover is first and foremost your best friend. The romance part comes after the friendship. You have to figure out if it's something you're willing to commit to, and when you love someone, you'll know.” Magnus nodded along, taking in every word. How would it feel to be kissed by Dot? Magnus had never thought about it. But he had thought about  kissing Alec. Multiple times, so many times he'd lost count.

But Alec didn't want him, Dot did. Alec didn't even want to see him again. Magnus had thought about going to the castle, find Alec and apologize, beg for forgiveness. But Alec would laugh at him, get the guards to escort him out and never let him in again. Alec didn't want to see him. Magnus wanted to fix it, but he was too scared, too much of a coward.

“And Magnus,” Luke said, getting his attention again. “If you do fall in love, remember that is a rare thing, you should never take it for granted. You have to fight for it.”

“Thank you, I will keep that in mind.”

“Good. Now, I have to go visit a client, one of the Knights managed to get himself stabbed in the leg. Anyway, I will go check on him, I should be back in a few hours,” Luke said. Minutes later Magnus was left alone in the flat. 

He spent some time in the living room before going to his room. He was home alone, so he was going to see if he could practice some magic. However, he'd barely gotten to his room when he heard a knock in the door.

“Who could that be?” He mumbled to himself, going back to the hallway to open the door.

He opened the door and was met with a loud, “Magnus Bane, you idiot! You get kidnapped and you don't say anything to anyone for an entire week?!” He heard before he was engulfed in a tight hug.

“I've missed you too, Catarina,” Magnus chuckled into her embrace.

“I was so worried when Alec said you were missing. I thought Malcolm was going to kill you.” 

“Honestly, so did I for a second,” Magnus said.

“You need to tell me everything that happened,” Catarina said, pulling back from the hug. Magnus nodded and led her inside. He told her the same story he told Dot, and he felt bad for lying, but the truth was just too complicated.

“God, Magnus. Are you okay?” She asked when he was done.

“Yes, I'm fine. Luke has been helping me a lot, the benefits of living with a medic.”

“Are you sure you should be up and walking though?”

“Catarina, I appreciate the worry, but I'm not going to fall apart as soon as I take a step. I'm  _ fine,”  _ Magnus insisted.

“Okay, okay. Sorry for being worried!” Cat said, pulling Magnus into another hug. “Are you busy?” She asked. “I would like to spend some time with you, it's been a while.”

“I'm free until seven, do you want something to eat or drink?”

“No, not yet at least. What happens at seven?” Catarina asked.

“I have a date,” Magnus said with a small blush. 

“Magnus, that’s awesome! With who?” 

“Um, I don’t think you know her, her name is Dorothea Rollins.”

“Do you like her?” Catarina asked.

“I… I think so,” Magnus said. And he did think so. He liked her. Not the way he’d liked Alec before realizing he loved him, but he liked her. 

“Good. I’m happy for you, Magnus.”

 

* * *

 

They spent about an hour talking before Catarina had to go take care of something. Magnus still had quite some hours before he had to go to the date. He decided to look through Luke’s books to see if he could find anything to help Malcolm with his lover. 

He’d spent some time reading about demon blood the past three days when he was in bed, but no way to go to heaven with it in your veins. He looked through Luke’s bookshelves, looking for something that might help him. He found a book about Lilith and the princes and decided to read it, maybe he would find some useful information, and maybe he would find out some more about his father…

He was sitting on the couch, his nose buried deep in the book, when Luke arrived half an hour later. Luke didn’t say anything, which Magnus was thankful for, he needed to concentrate, not miss a single detail. 

He was far away in another world when Luke called for him hours later. “Magnus, Magnus?” He said, trying to get his attention. “Have you eaten anything today?” He asked when Magnus finally looked up. “Other than breakfast, I mean.” Magnus shook his head. “Well, you should eat something then, I’ve made us lunch.” 

 

* * *

 

Magnus was looking at himself in the mirror, checking that everything looked good. His hair was spiked up and his nails were painted black, and he was wearing a black and white shirt and a pair of black pants. He was ready for his date with Dot.

At least that was what he told himself, in reality, he was nervous. Not because of Dot, he knew everything would go great with her. He was nervous because this was going to be his first date ever, and no matter how awesome Dot was, Magnus  _ knew  _ he didn't want her as anything more than a friend. Not the way he wanted Alec. 

“Stop thinking about him,” Magnus scolded himself. This wasn’t about Alec, this was about Magnus. And Magnus didn’t need Alec in his life, especially not if he didn’t want him. He had already cried too much over him, spent two entire days doing nothing else. He was done. Done.

He needed to go if he wanted to be there in time, so he took the jacket lying on his bed and left the flat. 

Dot was already there when he arrived, waiting for him outside. “Hey,” Magnus greeted her with a smile. She was wearing a simple, black dress, and her hair was braided. She was beautiful, she really was.

“Hi,” She answered, copying his smile. They both walked into the tavern. It was different from anything Magnus had seen before, the tavern was small and well lit, and it was full, barely any available chairs. 

The date itself went by in a blur. They sat down and talked for a while before the food came. It wasn't much different from their usual meetings, except for the noise around them. Magnus actually enjoyed himself, enjoyed talking and being with Dot. Soon enough, too soon, they had finished their food.

“We should probably leave before they throw us out,” Dot said, glancing at the owner of the tavern who'd been sending them some annoyed looks.

“Yeah, we probably should,” Magnus agreed. He insisted on paying for their food before they both left. The night air felt cold against their skin after having been in the full tavern for so long. “Do you want me to follow you home?” Magnus asked Dot. It was dangerous to be alone in the streets after dark. But Dot shook her head. 

“Thank you, Magnus. But I have Cinnamon in the stables, so I’ll be fine.” Cinnamon was her horse, a beautiful, dark brown Shire. 

“In that case, I guess this is where we say goodbye.” Dot nodded.

“Would you like to do this again, sometime?” She asked. Magnus thought about the date, how it had felt. He had enjoyed it, so why shouldn’t he do it again? 

“Yes. Yes, I would like that,” He said. The smile Dot sent him shined like the sun in the dark street. 

“Great!” She said. Hesitantly she took Magnus’ hand in her and pulled him closer to her. Magnus squeezed her hand and smiled, unsure of what she was going to do, but not wanting to ruin the mood. “I can’t wait to see you again,” She whispered. She pulled Magnus closer, and before he could even think about it, she kissed him. 

Just a quick peck, she pulled back before Magnus even had time to kiss back, and with a last smile, she went to get Cinnamon, leaving Magnus alone outside the tavern, looking after her and wondering what had just happened. 

Had he enjoyed it? It didn’t feel  _ wrong,  _ but he couldn’t help but wish it had been Alec. But it hadn’t been bad, it could be something to get used to. If Dot wanted him, and he liked Dot, then it was fine, right?

Magnus shook his head and started walking back home. He had to think about this, thoroughly.

 

* * *

 

In the following three days that came after Alec was told to get married, he had been spending a lot of time with Izzy and Jace to talk about his wedding, what would be expected of him and how he should act. He didn’t really like the idea but he knew that it was the right thing to do. He missed Magnus a lot but he had to take care of this first, find out how to treat his future wife. So the days went by and Alec actually learned a lot of things. Some were things he didn’t necessarily want to learn, but Jace deemed them important. It was Sunday and most of the day was already over, he just had to survive an hour of dancing with Izzy and then he would be free for the evening. His siblings were supportive, but he could constantly feel how much they disliked the idea of Alec getting married to Lydia. He appreciated the effort they put into it, and was thankful that they didn't argue with him any further. When he came into the ballroom Izzy was already waiting for him. 

“I thought you wouldn’t come,” she teased him, which only caused him to roll his eyes as he stepped closer.

“Well I have to learn this so of course I’m here,” he told her.

“Do you know what else you have to do?”

“Learn how to make an effort to care about her?” he suggested, he had no idea what she was talking about.

“It’s the last of your three days, you have to talk to Magnus today,” she reminded him.

“Wh- What? Izzy, why? I’m getting married, I think that's a little bit more important, and I... what am I supposed to tell him? Hey I love you but I am getting married so if you are interested, would you like to be my secret lover?”

Izzy actually laughed at that and shook her head. “God no. But you have to find out why he helped Malcolm,” she said and got them into the position for a waltz. “You need him as a friend and you know I’m right.” 

They slowly started to dance and Alec thought about Izzy's words, she as right. Of course she was. And he had really missed Magnus, a lot. So he decided that he would go and look for Magnus once this dancing lesson was over. 

“You are getting better and better,” Izzy praised after 50 minutes of waltzing through the room. Alec didn’t know if she actually meant it or if she was teasing him but he smiled and thanked her.

“So, are you going to look for Magnus now?”

“Yes. I mean I have to, right? Otherwise you'll do it for me and I can’t let you do that. So, yeah. I’m going to look for him,” he told her with a small nod. He was nervous about this, but he was going to be the king someday so he should be able to talk to someone.”Please wish me luck, and that… I don’t know, that it was all just a big misunderstanding,” he shrugged and hugged Izzy quickly before he left the room and went to Lukes flat. 

Once he arrived there he stood in front of the door and hesitated.  _ What if he hates me? What if he tried to kill me? If it had been Magnus’s plan to kill him during the tournament?  _ Alec was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice someone coming towards the door and he jumped when it opened and he heard his name.

“Alexander?” Magnus asked, surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me on Tumblr


	8. Reunion

“Alexander?” Magnus asked, surprised. He’d heard a noise by the door and went to check what it was, the last thing he had expected to see was Alec standing there. Alec looked like a mess. His hair was disheveled, probably from his habit of running his hands through it when he was nervous or stressed. And he had dark bags under his eyes, like he hadn’t been sleeping... In days.

Alec looked down at Magnus with wide eyes, Magnus couldn’t decide if he looked nervous or scared. Probably something in between. Magnus’ thoughts were running a thousand miles an hour. What was he doing here? _Did he come to officially fire me?_ Did he not come for him at all? Maybe he had something he needed from Luke…

“Magnus! Who’s at the door?” Luke asked from where he was making a potion. Magnus didn’t answer, he was still staring at Alec. “Magnus?” Luke called again when he didn’t get an answer.

“Wha- what are you doing here?” Magnus stuttered.

“Magnus?” Luke had left the table to see what was going on. “Alec,” He exclaimed upon seeing him.

“Um, hi, Luke,” Alec said awkwardly, looking over Magnus to look at Luke instead. Magnus wasn’t sure if it made him angry or sad.

“Do you need anything?” Luke asked, probably feeling the tension between the two men and trying to lessen it.

“I- I do, actually. I…” Alec looked away from Luke, looked down at Magnus again. His hands were in his pockets, but Magnus could see they were fisted. “Can I talk to you?” He asked, looking away.

“Come in, Alec. Magnus, step aside to let him in,” Luke said when Magnus didn’t say anything. Magnus shook himself out of it to the sound of Luke’s voice, and moved out of the way to let Alec in. “I have something I need to do in my room,” Luke said before disappearing.

Magnus closed the door before turning around to look at Alec. Alec looked unsure, standing in the hallway looking lost. His eyes were darting everywhere, except for Magnus.

“Alexander,” Magnus started. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know why Alec was here, he thought he wouldn’t get to see him again. And now he was standing _right there,_ and Magnus couldn’t make himself say anything. What if Alec wasn’t there for an explanation? Magnus owed him that, but what if Alec didn’t care? What if he just wanted to get Magnus out of his life officially? What if he was there to-

“Magnus,” Alec said. “I… I need to talk to you.”

“You- you want to talk. You’re not here to…” Magnus couldn’t even make himself say it. “To… officially get rid of me,” He said instead. It was not even close to what he actually wanted to say, but it was what he managed to get out.

“Get rid of you? By the angel, Magnus. _No._ I- I’m here to maybe apologize,” Alec mumbled. He cleared his throat. “Um, could we go to the living room?” He asked, looking down at his shoes.

“You’re here to… okay, living room,” Magnus nodded. He didn’t understand why he was like this, why he could barely talk just from Alec being in the room. He moved past Alec to the living room and hoped Alec would follow. He gestured towards the couch and chairs, offering Alec to sit down. But Alec shook his head.

“Um, Magnus… I- we, we need to talk,” Alec said. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I might have overreacted, that day. I spent two days waiting for you to wake up, and then when you finally did it was suddenly all on purpose, and I felt betrayed, that you would do that to me. But… I thought about it, and… well, I realized it was very unlike you to help a murderer without reason, so I want to hear the story. The whole story, before I decide what to do about it.”

“Yes...Yes of course. You deserve to- to know the whole story,” Magnus stammered, he nodded and chewed his lip. How much should he really tell him? He couldn’t tell Alec about his magic, but that wasn’t a really big factor in the truth anyway. He could tell him about Malcolm, about his suspicions and the deal he made. And he would hope Alec could understand.

“I… when I asked you if I could talk to Malcolm, it was because I wanted to question him. Because I had a feeling he and the shapeshifter were connected, somehow. Luke had told me earlier that shapeshifters don’t act much on their own, that they mostly follow orders. So I wanted to ask Malcolm if someone had sent him, if it was the same person trying to kill you.” Magnus stopped there for a moment and looked at Alec before he continued. “Well, I… I did ask him and at first he didn’t want to answer at all, but then we kind of… made a deal.” Alec looked at Magnus, shock all over his face.

“You made a deal…”

“Let me finish, please,” Magnus interrupted. He would answer all questions later, but he just had to get the story out. “I asked him what he wanted from me, in exchange for a real answer, and he said he wanted freedom. I- I didn’t want to, but I needed to know who is after you, so I agreed. And so we made the plan, and, well, he got out. Once we were in the woods he told me everything, like he promised. Who, and why, everything he knew. Before he left I asked him to hit me, so it looked like I really had been kidnapped, and then he portaled away. I really don’t know where he went and… he overdid it slightly with his hit. I mean I didn’t want to be unconscious for two days. And Alec,” he said and reached for Alec's hand. “I’m really sorry that I scared you and that I helped him but I just..I had to.” Alec was silent for a while, and Magnus almost expected him to pull his hand back and leave, but then he finally said something.

“You… you did that for me?”

“Yes. I wanted to know who was sending these people, so I could stop them. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Magnus, I am so sorry. For how I reacted. I should have listened to you first, I could have spared us both these last days,” Alec said.

“It’s okay. I don’t know if I would have reacted any differently if it was me. I’m glad you came. I- I wanted to go talk to you, explain what really happened, but… I was scared. You said you never wanted to see me again, and I wasn’t sure if you meant it or not. I was scared you would throw me out if I did come,” Magnus confessed.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I snapped completely. Of course I want to see you, I missed you so much, and it wasn’t even an entire week. But so… so eventful,” he sighed and leaned against the wall.

“What happened?” Magnus asked, sensing that something was wrong.

“Nothing, it’s not important,” Alec said, walking to a couch and slumping into it.

“Alexander, if it bothers you, it’s important,” Magnus said, following Alec to the couch.

“It’s just… I’m getting married.”

“Sorry, did you just say you’re getting married? When? And who? How did this happen?”

“I just found out three days ago. Apparently dad has been planning this for a while. Um, her name is Lydia, she’s a princess. She’s coming to visit next week, I’m sure she’s awesome,” Alec said, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

“Wait, you haven’t even met her? And you agreed to marry her just like that?”

“Magnus, I’ve already had this discussion with Jace and Izzy, please don’t fight me on this. This is something I have to do, for the kingdom. I was never going to marry for love, I’ve known that since I was a child. And it’s about time I get married, this kingdom needs an alley and a heritage.”

“But you can’t just-”

“Magnus, please.” Alec looked at Magnus, his eyes begging him to stop. Magnus wished he could take away the pain he saw in those beautiful eyes, take away all the responsibilities and expectations and replace it all with undying love and affection.

“Okay,” Magnus said. “Okay, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” Alec sighed. “It is already difficult enough… I mean I know all those things. I don’t know her and everyone will expect a child in the first year or two and I don’t know… yeah, whatever, I know all those stupid things, but I have to and I could really need some support. And now that we are friends again…. I need you to tell me that it’s going to be alright. And you have to tell me who is planning to kill me and why.” Alec seemed like he just understood that in this moment.

“It _is_ going to be alright. Everything will be alright. And about who’s trying to kill you… well, it’s complicated.”

“More complicated than my marriage? Well… I do have time. I mean I should be up tomorrow to learn some more about how to be a good husband, and you and I will have to train again but… I am free tonight so, tell me”

Magnus actually chuckled a bit and he was so relieved that he would train again with Alec the next day, this meant that they were okay and back on track. Well sort of. It was rather difficult to understand that Alec was actually getting married. Well he himself was dating Dot so of course Alec was going to find a girlfriend, or a bride he didn’t know before. It also settled that Alec was not interested in him, and even if he had been, he wouldn’t be allowed to, especially not with a wife.

“Well… I'm assuming you've heard the legends about the seven princes of hell, and the queen of hell. Lilith.”

“I have, but what does that have to do with it?”

“Well, you see. They're true. And the one who wants to kill you is Lilith.”

“Lilith? Queen of hell Lilith? Why?”

“There is a prophecy, that a _once and future king_ would be born, and that he would end the queen once and for all. She believes that king is you, so she wants to kill you before you get the chance to kill her.”

“Oh, that sounds amazing… I mean being the once and future king who kills the queen of hell does add perfectly to all the other things that are expected of me so, yeah I will easily kill the queen of hell and then I’ll make a baby… just as easy.”

“Hey, I think making babies is not… that difficult, so don’t worry about that. And about Lilith, I actually think it’s true, but I am researching a bit more and we can train. As far as I understood it, she will not stop trying to kill you unless you kill her or die, and I won’t let you die so you will train and fight and then win,” he told him and nodded. “And I will help you, do you hear me? I will help you with everything that comes your way.”

“But how do you know Malcolm didn't just tell you some random lie?”

“We took a blood oath, he was going to tell me the truth if I helped him escape.”

“Thank you, Magnus,” Alec smiled. “For doing all this for me.”

“Of course. I've told you before, I care about you. And I will do everything I can to help you through this, and you will defeat Lilith.” Alec nodded, and Magnus smiled. Magnus was about to say something more when there was a knock at the door. Magnus left the living room to go open it, and Alec followed him. There was a servant outside.

“Is prince Alexander here?” The servant asked before looking past Magnus and spotting Alec. “Your highness,” he said with a bow. “Your father wants your presence in a meeting.”

“Of course, tell him I will join them in a minute,” Alec said, dismissing the servant. Then he turned to Magnus. “I'm really sorry, I have to go.”

“Do you want me to come with you? I am you servant after all…”

“Thank you, Magnus, but it won't be necessary. Rest, get a last night of good sleep. We'll be meeting at eight in my room to train tomorrow.”

“Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then.”

“See you, and I’m glad we talked about that,” smiled Alec shortly before he left the flat.

Magnus closed the door behind him and smiled, he felt a lot better. At least about his relationship with Alec but he also worried about Alec getting married to a woman he didn’t know. He knew Alec wasn't doing this because he wanted to, he was doing it because it was expected of him. He knew Alec would never love him, at least not like that, but he wished Alec would love _someone._ And that he would get to marry and be happy with that someone. Magnus wished Alec could realize his happiness was more important than living up to expectations. But Alec had begged him not to argue, and Magnus couldn't make himself. He was just telling Alec what he already knew, just making it all harder for him.

Magnus shook his head and went back to the living room, sitting down on the couch once again.

“You're frowning, but you don't seem sad, so I'm assuming it went well?” Came Luke's voice. He'd just gotten out of his room. Magnus nodded.

“Yeah. We're friends again, at least. I told him everything, about why I helped Malcolm out, about Lilith and the prophecy, all of it.”

“That's good. So why the frown?” Luke asked.

“I… Alec's getting married.”

“He's getting married? Did he choose a wife?”

“No, that's the worst part. Robert is the one who's been planning all this, didn't even tell Alec until three days ago. Alec doesn't want to marry that girl, Luke. Isn't there any way to stop this wedding?”

“I don’t think so, Magnus. This is none of our business. You are just his servant. I mean in reality you are his friend but for everyone else, you are just his servant. And I’m just the medic so… no, we can't do anything about this. I’m sorry.” Magnus sighed.

“I wish there was something I could do. Alec doesn't deserve this, to have his whole life planned out for him,  to be expected to do everything for the benefit of the kingdom. He should be allowed to be human from time to time.” Luke sighed and sat down beside Magnus.

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Luke said, quoting some writer Magnus didn't know.

 

* * *

 

Two days had passed since Alec and Magnus made their peace. Two wonderful, normal days. If you put aside the fact that Alec was getting married.

He was standing in the middle of the conference room and watched their guest leave after their meeting about some economics and strategy when his father came towards him.

“Miss Lydia will be coming in two days, I hope you are ready to receive her, Alexander,” Robert said, just reminding Alec of what he couldn't get out of his head, the fact that his _fiancée_ was coming in two days.

“I am aware, and I am ready, father. I will make sure Lydia enjoys her stay here with us.”

“Good,” his father said with an approving nod. “You are dismissed.” Alec left the room immediately and headed towards Magnus’ house. He'd told him to wait there after Alec had been summoned for the meeting. He didn't want to make Magnus stand and listen to strategy and economy plans for almost an hour when he could be doing something else. Magnus would probably be helping Luke.

He knocked on the door when he arrived, expecting Magnus to come open. Instead he heard Magnus yell. “Come in!” Alec opened the door and stepped inside. He didn't see Magnus in the living room, so he decided to check the infirmary.

Magnus was there, along with some knight Alec didn't know the name of. Magnus seemed to be doing something with the Knight's hands, surrounding it in something white.

“Your highness!” The knight exclaimed when he saw Alec, trying to stand up. Magnus pulled him back down by the wrist.

“Don't move, or we're gonna have to start again,” he said, annoyance clear in his voice. “Just give me a second here, I'm almost done,” Magnus said to Alec, not once taking his eyes away from what he was doing. Alec sat down on a chair and watched Magnus work. Magnus had a beautiful pair of hands, with long and strong fingers. Alec wondered what those fingers would feel like inside him… _Get a hold of yourself!_ Alec scolded. He was getting married soon, he needed to stop having thoughts like these unless they were about Lydia. Which they weren’t going to be.

“Okay, you can come back in a week to change this, and _please_ don't do anything stupid until then,” Magnus said, dismissing the knight with a wave of his hand. Alec moved to the chair the knight had been sitting in, facing Magnus.

“What happened to him?” Alec asked.

“Two broken knuckles. He was stupid enough to try punching a brick wall,” Magnus explained.

“Luke must pretty busy if you're patching people up,” Alec commented.

“Yeah, for some reason everyone decided to get hurt these last two days. Luke's been working non-stop making potions and salves, so I try to take care of the occasional knight stopping by.”

“Oh, I feel bad for taking you away now, clearly you're much more needed and helpful here…”

“Alec, helping Luke isn't my job, it's something I do when I have the opportunity and it's needed. Luke doesn't want me to be any less with you just because he's busy. Now, do you need to have your knuckles taped too or shall we leave?”

“I haven't tried to punch any brick wall lately, so I think I'll be fine,” Alec said, standing up.

“Woah, wait a second,” Magnus said, pulling him back into the chair. “What happened to you?” Magnus held Alec's hand up, inspecting it in the light. It was bruised from Alec's late nights off _blowing of steam_. “You don't have anything broken, but this is some heavy bruising. What did you do yesterday?”

“It’s nothing. I was just working out.”

“Alec, you don’t get this from _working out._ You get this from punching something for hours without stopping, and you didn’t do that while we have been training or spending time together..”

“It’s just a way to sort my thoughts out, okay? It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Alexander, if you’re doing this to yourself then it is something to worry about. Please tell me you aren’t hurting yourself on purpose.”

“I’m not hurt, Magnus. I’m fine. Come on now, let’s go.” Magnus looked doubting, but sighed and followed Alec out of the room.

“So, what are we gonna do?” Magnus asked. Alec had no idea.

“Let's go for a ride,” was the first thing that came to his mind. “Do you know how to ride a horse?”

“I know how to lay unconscious on a horse with a knight holding me up but alone and awake...no,” he admitted.

“I'll teach you then, come on!” Alec left the house, exited for this. He'd been so busy with the wedding he hadn't had any time for Shadowhunter. And honestly, just riding through the woods with Magnus sounded great. Well, at least as soon as Magnus was comfortable riding alone. _Maybe we could ride together for a while?_ he thought. He could teach Magnus how to ride by showing him. Shadowhunter could have them both on his back, and that way Magnus would learn to be comfortable in the horse and Alec could take control at any time if it was necessary. Shadowhunter was also the calmest horse they had, so he would be good to learn with.

“You seem very excited,” Magnus chuckled, following him to the stables.

“I am. I love horseback riding,” Alec said. Minutes later they arrived at the stables. “Magnus, this is Shadowhunter,” Alec said, introducing them. “He's been my horse for 6 years, and I'm gonna teach you how to ride him.”

“Are… Are you sure about that? I mean… he’s rather tall” Magnus mumbled and looked up at Shadowhunter.

“What? Are you scared?”

“Me? No, no of course not. I mean… Respect. Horses are very tall and strong and I could get hurt but… no, I’m not afraid.”

“Okay, well, come here.” Alec urged Magnus to come closer before taking his hand in his. “The most important thing of horseback riding is trust. You have to trust the horse, and the horse has to trust you.” Alec slowly brought their joined hands up and stroked them down the horse's neck, through the soft mane. Shadowhunter neighed lowly. “See? Nothing dangerous.” _At least not from the horse,_ Alec thought, his heart was racing from the moment he took Magnus’ hand in his. It felt good, nice and…. right. _But it shouldn't!_ He was getting married, his future wife was coming to visit in two days, Alec couldn't be in love with Magnus.

“Okay, but petting him is one thing, riding him is something else,” Magnus said, stopping his train of thoughts.

“Yes, but everything has to begin with a first step and petting him is that step. Next, we will get him out and prepare him with a leash and a saddle and everything else. It’s a nice thing to do… sort of therapeutic” he explained as he reached for the headpiece. “Why don't you keep petting him while I prepare the gear?” Alec suggested. It didn't really take much time to prepare, but it was good for Magnus to pet Shadowhunters on his own. It helped both of them get used to each other. And watching Magnus with his horse was also super cute. The way Magnus touched him hesitantly, let his hand slide up and down Shadowhunters mane, they were both adorable.

Alec let it go on for a few minutes before breaking in. “Okay, now that you're okay with touching him I'll show you how to put the gear on,” he said.

They spend the following twenty minutes getting Shadowhunter ready, Alec showed it to Magnus and then removed everything again so Magnus could try it himself. Alec had to help a little but Magnus was able to do most of the things alone. It was nice to see and Alec decided that they would have to do that more often, that he had to get Magnus comfortable around the horses so they could go for a ride a bit more often. It also looked very nice, Magnus and a horse.

“Well done,” Alec praised once he had checked everything. “And now the probably most scaring part…. Getting on.”  

Alec chuckled softly when he saw all the color vanish from Magnus’s face at those words. “It’s not that bad… we will move to a little wall so you can climb on that and then on Shadowhunter. He knows that so he won’t do anything,” Alec promised and then led his horse out. Magnus followed them slowly and once they stood in front of the little wall he chewed his lip.

“Are you really sure about that?” he asked.

“Yes, now up you go and then sit still so I can climb up behind you,” Alec said. Magnus still looked hesitant, but he did as Alec asked. “You put your foot in that stirrup and then lift the other one over to the other side,” Alec instructed, showing Magnus where to place his feet and where to hold his hands. Magnus did as Alec said, and a second later he was on the horse. “You did it! That was great,” Alec praised. “Later we'll work on your posture, but right now I'm gonna take you for a ride.” Alec had used the double saddle, he barely used it anymore, since he didn't have anyone to ride with now that both Izzy and Jace knew how to ride, but it was still in perfect condition. He jumped up behind Magnus and reached for the reins. He had to move his arms around Magnus and look over his shoulder. “Now… try not to move unless I tell you to, okay?” he requested and gave the command for Shadowhunter to move forward. It had been so long and with Magnus, it also was entirely different, they were so close but it was okay like that, nobody would ask any questions. Nobody but his heart. This was supposed to be a fun trip but Alec suddenly feared that it might not be as easy as that.

 

* * *

 

“Wow, I'm on a horse,” Magnus said in disbelief. “I'm riding a horse.” There had been very few transport horses in the village Magnus came from, riding a horse had always been like a crazy dream, something that would never happen. But here he was, riding a horse with the prince of Idris behind him.

“Yeah, you are,” Alec said, right by his ear. And that's when Magnus stopped thinking about the fact that he was riding a horse and rather about Alec being so close. His chest was pretty much glued to Magnus’ back, his long arms were around Magnus’ chest to hold the reins, and his chin was resting on Magnus’ shoulder so he could see where they were going. They were so close and Magnus really tried to think of something else or somebody else but… it wasn’t just anyone there behind him, it was Alec! And when Magnus focused, he could feel Alec’s heart beat against his back. It was going so fast… was Alec nervous something would go wrong? “You can calm down, Alec. This is perfect,” Magnus said.

“I… yeah. It is,” Alec whispered. But he was so close Magnus could still hear him perfectly.

“Where are we going?” Magnus asked.

“I don’t know… but I trust my horse, he usually knows where I want to be or where I should be, so… I think I’ll give him the command of this trip” he suggested. The breath from Alec’s words felt hot against his ear and cheek and he tried not to think about that, or how it would feel if Alec were to kiss his cheek.

“That sounds great,” Magnus breathed out. Honestly, he didn't care where they went, as long as Alec didn't move. Or did he want him to move? It was confusing, he wanted Alec to stay exactly where he was, and at the same time he wanted it to go away, wanted it all to stop. Wanted these  _feelings_ to stop.

Magnus yelped as the horse broke into a canter, and fisted his hands in the horse’s mane, since there was nowhere else to hold. “Hey, calm down,” Alec said soothingly in his ear. “Look here, take the reins.” Magnus slowly let go of the mane and took the reins where Alec showed him. Alec closed his hands over his. “Good,” He said. “Now, to go left, you pull the reins this way, but not too hard, and you put pressure on the left side with your foot. That way he’ll know what to do.” Magnus did as Alec showed him, and Shadowhunter turned. “See? You can do it.”

Alec showed Magnus how to make the horse go forwards too, and how to speed up and stop. “This is not as hard as I thought,” Magnus smiled when he started to get the hang of it.

“I told you,” Alec said. “Try to lead him to outside the city walls, and then he can take the lead.”

“I don’t think I can take him that far…” Magnus said hesitantly.

“Hey, Magnus. You just managed to control him perfectly here. I know you can take him to the wall. And I’ll be right here to help if something goes wrong, okay?” Slowly, Magnus nodded.

“Okay.” Magnus took a deep breath before making the horse go forwards. He led him through the streets in a slow canter. They got some weird looks, the prince and his servant on a horse was bound to attract attention. But Magnus tried not to think of that, focused on the horse. The wall was in sight, and they rode through the gates to the part of the city outside the walls.

“Let Shadowhunter take control now, he always knows where to go,” Alec said. Magnus relaxed against Alec, and he managed to stay calm even as the horse started galloping. They’d only been riding for a few minutes when Magnus heard something.

“Magnus!” He turned to see Dot waving at him. They were riding past her fields. Magnus smiled and waved back before turning forwards again, focusing on where the horse was going. They rode towards the forest, and Magnus leaned against Alec. Against his warm chest, against the arms around him, against Alec's face, so close to his he could actually kiss him. He could kiss him right now, if he just turned his face an inch.

But he couldn't. He was dating Dot. They had defined their relationship, and they were dating. Magnus was only supposed to kiss Dot, he wasn't a cheater. And Alec was straight anyway, he would be disgusted. But Alec was so close, Magnus could feel his breath on his cheek. Magnus closed his eyes and felt the up and down of the horse, felt Alec's quick breath and even quicker heartbeat against him, everything was wonderful.

Magnus must have zoned out completely, cause next thing he noticed Alec was whispering his name in his ear. “Magnus? Magnus, he stopped, we're here,” he said. Magnus blinked his eyes open and looked around. They were in a clearing, probably deep in the forest. There was a big lake there, and a cave. The clearing itself was big with lots of green, fresh grass, a Paradise for horses. The remains of a fire hinted that there had been people there before.

“Wow, this place is wonderful, Alexander,” Magnus said. He wanted to leave the horse, go put his hands in the water, run over the field. But that reminded him of something. “Um, Alec?” He said hesitantly. “I have no idea how to get off a horse.” Alec chuckled at that.

“Don't worry, I'll show you,” he said. He got off the horse himself before showing Magnus how to get off, step by step. Magnus did it, after some hesitation, he managed to get off the horse and down on the ground. “You did it,” Alec murmured. They were standing so close, their bodies were less than an inch from touching, and if it hadn't been for Alec's height, their lips would have been touching. But Alec was tall, and so there was still an inch between their faces. But Magnus could kiss him, if he stood on his tip toes, he could reach Alec's mouth.

 _But I don't want to!_ He tried to convince himself. He. Didn't. Want. Alec. That was it, it was that easy. He didn't want him.

Suddenly Magnus was pushed forwards, and for one terrifying, electrifying moment, their lips brushed before Magnus pulled back hastily. Magnus was standing flush again Alec, Alec's hands around him to hold him up.

“But the angel, I am so sorry, that was not- I didn't…” Magnus stuttered.

“I know if wasn't you, Magnus. Shadowhunter decided to push you, for some reason,” said Alec, his voice hoarse and very low. If Magnus didn’t know better he would have said that Alec was affected by this ‘kiss’, if you could call it a kiss. But it was definitely enough to affect Magnus, he was blushing and so he quickly decided to walk past Alec and towards the lake, hoping to be able to cool off there. Alec kept standing there and talked to his horse, something Magnus didn’t understand.

 

* * *

 

“Why would you do such a thing?” Alec asked, his heart felt like it would explode. It had only been a quick brush of their lips but Alec felt incredible, it had been electrifying and a big part of him wanted to repeat this, but Magnus had reacted perfectly, by walking away. He had clearly been uncomfortable, the way he blushed and stuttered and then left as soon as possible. There was no point in wanting Magnus when Magnus would never want him. He had to stop.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear it before taking the reins and binding them to a tree. He knew Shadowhunter wouldn't run away, but this way it would be harder for someone to take him without them noticing. When he turned back to look after Magnus he found a bunch of clothes by the lake. “Magnus?” He called, looking around for him. Where could he possibly have gone? Alec couldn't see him in the water. What if he was drowning? _He isn't, I would see if he was drowning,_ Alec responded with himself. A few seconds later Magnus emerged out of the water.

“Magnus!” Alec examined. “You worried me.”

“Oh, sorry. There's a cave under the water, is beautiful in there,” Magnus said. “Wanna come and see?” Alec had already explored the cave as much as he could, but he agreed anyway, happy to see Magnus so enthusiastic. He started undressing, and he could feel Magnus's gaze on him. It was confusing, Alec didn’t know what Magnus wanted, after the ‘kiss’ it was clear that Magnus didn’t think or felt like this but now he was watching him undress and that had to mean something, right? Why did feelings have to be so confusing? It didn't really matter what Alec wanted, or what Magnus wanted. Alec was getting married, that was it.

Alec stripped down to his underwear before wading into the water. It was cold, but it felt good against Alec hot skin. Magnus was waiting for him in the middle of the lake, so Alec made his way there quickly.

“Come on, you have to see this,” Magnus said before diving under the water. Alec followed quickly. They quickly reached the cave and Alec had to tell himself again not to look at Magnus all the time. The cave had always been a mysterious place. When Alec came here alone the walls of the cave were always riddled with white, dull crystals. It was still full of crystals, but this time they were glowing, blue. They swan up, up to air. The cave was mostly underwater, but there was a part over water too, a part with air. That’s where they went now.

“It looks so much better in blue,” Alec mumbled as soon as they were over water, and then looked over at Magnus. “Sorry… I knew about this, I have been here before.”

“Oh. Well, that’s fine. What do you mean it looks better in blue?”

“I mean, it never glowed before. Usually it’s just white and boring.” Magnus’s face went blank for a second, but he recovered so quickly Alec actually thought he might have imagined it.

“It… it doesn’t usually glow?” He asked. Alec shook his head.

“No. Is there something wrong?” Magnus had suddenly started acting weird.

“No, no, no. Nothing wrong. It’s just… it’s weird, that it’s glowing,” Magnus said. And, well… it looked like there was more to it, but Alec didn’t want to push.

“It is weird,” Alec agreed. “It’s like they’re taking energy from something…”

“Yeah, that’s… an interesting theory,” Magnus said. “Um, well, this is very beautiful, but if you’ve already seen the cave then let’s get out of here.”

“I’ve never seen it in blue though,” Alec protested.

“Please, Alec? I… I’m not feeling very well,” Magnus mumbled. Alec looked Magnus over. Well, looked his face over, the rest was under water. He looked pretty pale, and he seemed to be shaking as much as he could in the water.

“Okay, let’s get out of here then,” Alec said. Maybe the water was too cold, or maybe Magnus felt cramped in the small bubble of air they had. Whatever it was, if Magnus wanted to get out, they would get out.

Alec dived back under first, he could feel Magnus do the same beside him. They swam back to land together. Magnus dragged himself up and collapsed on the grass, breathing hard. Alec followed him, but instead of lying down he looked at Mangus. This was the first time he’d seen Magnus shirtless and conscious, and he hadn’t really been enjoying the view when Magnus was unconscious after Malcolm. But now… Alec couldn’t help but stare. Magnus had a beautiful, toned chest, and muscular, strong, lean legs, and his face was beautiful as always, and his lips looked so kissable… _Stop it!_ Alec forced himself to look away. He’d already seen how Magnus reacted to a kiss, and it wasn’t a good reaction. If Alec really kissed him, he would never want to see him again.

Alec sat down beside Magnus and looked at the lake. “Magnus?” He asked when he heard him sit up too. “Who was that girl, the one who waved to you?” he asked. That wasn’t what he’d meant to ask, but it had been bugging him for a while. Was she just a friend? Was she more?

“Dot? She’s my… girlfriend,” Magnus said.

“Girlfriend? When did you two…?”

“We had our first date on Sunday. But we’ve been friends since I woke up, basically. She’s the one who found me, don’t you remember her? She mentioned that you thanked her.”

“Oh… yeah, yeah of course I remember her,” he said and nodded. “I’m… happy for you, you can bring her to… to my wedding if you want.”

“I’ll see if we last that long,” Magnus sighed.

“What do you mean? Do you not like her?” Alec asked.

“I do, I like her. But… well, I don’t know. It’s complicated.” Magnus looked away and started plucking at the grass.

“Talk to me, Magnus. I can see that it bothers you, tell me about it. We do have time. No one knows about this place so they won’t disturb us. Tell me why you don’t think it’s going to work.” he requested. Again, it was confusing. Magnus had a girlfriend but he didn’t know if it was going work for the long run?

“I don’t know. I think I just don’t like her like that, you know? Like, she’s great, and I love spending time with her, but I… I don’t think I want her as any more than a friend,” Magnus mumbled.

“Oh.. yeah I think I understand that… why are you dating then? Can’t you tell her that?” he asked. “I mean… I can’t change that I’m getting married but that’s because of my… urgh, important role in our family and for the kingdom but you… Magnus, you are free to make the love decisions that you want. You can be with whoever makes you happy, with whoever… completes you and make you feel right and whole…” he said and looked over at Magnus. “I can’t do that…. But you can.”

“No, I can’t. I can’t. But it’s fine. I’m fine with it.” Magnus really didn’t look fine. “Can we talk about something else? Please?” He begged. But Alec wanted to know. Why couldn't Magnus be with who he wanted? Who was it?

“No… No, we can’t. Magnus, please tell me. I could help you,” he said.

“You can’t help me. It would only make it worse if you knew. There’s nothing you can do.”

“Magnus, I’m sure I could help if you just tell me who it is. Or at least what’s keeping you from being with her.”

Magnus turned his head away and didn’t say anything for a long time, Alec almost thought that Magnus would never answer him.

“Two things… It’s… Not a her. And I can not be completely honest about who I am,” he said. “I might never be able to tell people who I really am.” _Not a her? Not a her?!_

“Not a her?” Alec asked, just to be sure he hadn’t misheard.

“No. Can we talk about something else now?”

“Y...Yeah of course” mumbled Alec and nodded. “Wha... What do you want to talk about?”

“Um, I… Lilith. We need to talk about her.”

“The queen of hell that's trying to kill me?”

 

* * *

 

“Yes. I’ve been doing some research, and I found something. The prophecy Malcolm told me about.” Magnus took a second to think it through before speaking again. “It was in a dead language, but I managed to translate it. It’s not exactly perfect, but it goes along the lines of ‘when the Shadow World needs it the most, a once and future king will rise to end the queen. Only one can end the other, and only one can win.’” Magnus quoted it as best as he could. It had taken him almost an entire day to translate that little piece of text, and even so it could probably have been better. But he got the point, that was the most important.

“Well, that sounds… reassuring,” Alec said. “What does it mean ‘Shadow world?’” He asked.

“I read up on that too. Apparently, Shadow world was the term used to refer to the supernatural beings living in between everyone else unseen, in the Shadow World.”

“Supernatural beings? Like, werewolves, vampires, warlocks and wizards?” Alec asked.

“Um, yeah. According to the book at least.”

“That’s… a big thing. I… why am I supposed to help a shadow world, when I know nothing about them and when my father actually banned all magic and is punishing it with death?” Alec made a good point.

“I don’t know. But you were born just a few months before the war ended, right? Do you think that’s a coincidence?”

“I don’t see how it could be anything else. Do you think I had something to do with the war ending?”

“Actually, yes. The shadow world knew about that prophecy and they knew that, if they ever wanted to live in peace and out in the open… they had to make sure the forever king, _you,_ was safe. So the war stopped, in order for you to have a… more or less peaceful childhood and all of that so you could kill the queen of hell and free them.”  

“But how do they know that king is me?”

“Alec, I don’t have the answer to everything. But the queen seems pretty convinced at least. Maybe there’s a book full of details of when the king would be born and how to defeat the queen and all the information we need, but I haven’t found it yet.”

Alec just nodded and then laid back in the grass, he looked great like that, still wet from the lake and Magnus honestly didn’t mean to stare at him, but this soaked underwear left nothing to the imagination. Luckily Alec had his eyes closed and couldn’t see Magnus staring.

“But I am… erm, looking for anything that could help me, us... I mean you, to defeat her” he promised. Alec just hummed and kept his eyes closed. After a few minutes of complete silence, which Magnus used to calm himself and force his eyes to look somewhere else, Alec finally spoke again.

“I haven’t slept for almost four days,” He mumbled. “I could fall asleep right now and not wake up before the wedding.”

“Alec! Four days? How can you do that to yourself?” Magnus scolded.

“I just… I can’t sleep.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that? I could have gotten you some sleeping medicine.”

“I don’t need medicine, Magnus. I need to get my shit together. I’m getting married, I need to accept that. No medicine can help me.”

“Neither can no sleep.”

“I know,” Alec sighed. “She will come to Idris in two days. I’m supposed to be ready for her. But look at me, I’m a mess.”

“Alexander, you just need to take a day off to relax. You’ve been working non-stop. We’ll stay here the rest of the day, and I won’t leave your room until you’re asleep tonight,” he said, he didn’t know if he meant it as a threat or a promise but he knew he would definitely stay until Alec fell asleep.

“Thank you, Magnus. Thank you for caring.”

“Always Alexander, now close your eyes and rest. I’ll look around a bit more and you sleep. You need the rest,” he told him and patted Alec’s shoulder before he stood up and looked around. He quickly glanced down at Alec again and then started to walk around.


	9. Girls, girls, girls... and dragons

Hours later, after they had talked a bit more about everything and nothing, they rode into the city just as the sun set. Alec had slept for a while and Magnus hoped that he was feeling better now. When they arrived, they quickly took care of Shadowhunter and then went to Alec’s chambers.

“You really don’t need to wait here for me to fall asleep.”

“Oh yes I do. I told you I was going to wait for you to fall asleep.”

“Magnus… honestly. Please go home and sleep. I appreciate you for wanting to help me but I honestly can sleep alone. Go home and get some sleep yourself,” Alec insisted. Magnus looked at him and chewed his lip as he thought about his words.

“Fine, but if you look like you haven’t slept by tomorrow morning I will definitely spend the next night here and wait for you to fall asleep and I won’t let you talk me out of it, do you understand me?” he asked.

Alec just rolled his eyes but he nodded and that was all Magnus needed. He nodded as well and went to the door.

“Good night, Alexander.”

“Good night.”

Magnus left the room and closed the door behind himself, he walked down the halls and out of the castle, thinking about the day and about what he had told Alec. He had told him that he was in love with a guy! At least he didn’t tell him that he was the guy, that was something he was actually proud of.

Oh by name of god, the things he’d seen! As soon as the picture of Alec, wet and half naked, came into his mind, he rushed home and just said a quick hello to Luke before he disappeared into his room and locked the door. He knew it was wrong but he just couldn’t stop himself from getting hard. The memory alone was enough to leave him wanting. He closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose, trying a moment longer to stop himself but soon enough he gave up and got out of his clothes. He dropped them to the floor and got into bed.

 _Shit, Magnus you shouldn’t,_ he told himself, but his body didn’t listen. He moved his hand over his chest, down his stomach and finally cupped his erection. “Alexander,” he whispered quietly as he squeezed himself through his underwear. He moaned softly as he slipped his hand under the soft material and wrapped his fingers around himself. _Alec coming out of the water, his underwear soaked and clinging tightly to his body, his muscular, toned body._ Magnus kept thinking about that, about how he could see the outline of Alec’s cock through his wet underwear. He wished he could touch him and he moved his hand in the way he would do it to Alec, slow and teasing at first but soon the images in his head made his desperate and he sped up, twisting his hand at the top and swirling his thumb over the tip with every second stroke. He started to sweat a little and was panting, his hips were moving up and down and he could feel his orgasm building up. Magnus kept whispering Alec's name and after a few more strokes he had to cover his mouth with his other arm to muffle his moan as he came. He fell back on the bed and lay there, just staring at the ceiling. He shouldn’t have done that, he had a girlfriend now and Alec was about to get married. He didn’t get to enjoy the high of his orgasm for long because he felt guilty.

_“Magnus… Don’t worry… Focus on your mission.”_

Magnus jumped at that, who was that? And what mission? Damn, did someone watch him? He wiped his hand and pulled his underwear up before he stood up and looked around. _“Magnus.”_ It was the voice again! _That_ voice!

“You’re not getting away this time, I’m gonna find you,” Mangus said to no one. He cast a quick cleaning spell, he’d gotten good at that now, before jumping into the first clothes he found and ran out of the room.

“Where are you going?” Luke asked surprised when he ran past him.

“I’m gonna find the voice,” Magnus yelled before bolting out of the house. Luke probably thought he was crazy now, but he had to find it before it disappeared again. He ran down the stairs, following the silent whispers of his name that no one else could hear. “I'm gonna find you,” He said.

He followed the voice into the empty castle, the guards by the door knew him and let him in. The voice came from under the castle, from the dungeons. Magnus ran and stumbled down the stairs, desperate to catch the voice that had been disturbing his sleep for weeks.

Soon enough he was in the dark corridors of the dungeons. Magnus knew there were guards patrolling the dungeons, but he couldn’t care less. He would get past them. Magnus took a torch that was hanging on the wall and lit it with a few words. At least now he could see. He kept following the voice, but it seemed to end in nothing. A wall, a stone wall. But the voice was on the other side of that wall, Mangus could feel it calling for him! Magnus looked around himself to check that there was no one there. He whispered a spell, and with a few blue sparks and a pair of glowing eyes the wall in front of him disappeared, a dark, long corridor revealed behind it.

Magnus heard voices and footsteps coming from one of the corridors, the guards. He hurried into the passage he’d revealed and put up a quick glamour. It would still feel and look like the wall was there if you didn’t know it was a glamour. And the guards wouldn’t know. Another person with magic could have felt it, maybe. But not a normal human. Not a person without magic.

Magnus made sure the guards walked past the glamour without noticing it before moving on. The voice was getting louder, calling his name, telling him to focus, telling him it was fine. “Focus on what?” Magnus asked. “What do you want?” he kept asking. He never got an answer. When he saw more stairs he almost gave up immediately. It would be awful to walk up all these stairs later. But the voice kept insisting. _“Come to me, Magnus. You’re almost there, focus,"_ it kept saying. So Magnus went down the stairs, and finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached something that looked like a cave. The voice went completely silent.

“Hello?” Magnus called out. The cave was enormous, and Magnus was standing on a ledge. If he took a few steps forward he was likely to fall to his death. “Where are you? Don’t disappear now!” he yelled. He lifted the torch up as much as he could to see if he could see anything.

“I couldn’t disappear even if I wanted to,” the voice came from under him. Magnus moved as close to the edge as he dared and looked down. What he was there was… unexpected.

A big, golden dragon standing right there, looking up at him. With a flap of his wings, the dragon burst up, throwing Magnus back with the wind that came from his powerful wings. The dragon flew into the air, but didn’t get very far before Magnus heard rattling chains. The dragon was forced to come back down. He positioned himself on a stone so he was right in front of Magnus. Magnus was still on the ground, looking up at the dragon in wonder and amazement.

“What- What do you want from me? What mission? Why are you here? Are there other dragons? Why do you communicate with me and how?” Questions burst out of his mouth.

“Calm down, little warlock. Everything will make sense soon,” the dragon said. “I am Ithuriel, angel of the divine.”

“Angel? But… you’re a dragon," Magnus pointed out. "And… warlock?”

“Dragon is simply the form I took when I came to this earth. And yes, warlock. Son of a human, son of a demon. A warlock.”

“I am a warlock? And you’re an angel?” Magnus was still trying to grasp that.

“Yes,” the dragon, the angel, Ithuriel, nodded.

“Oh god. This is… a lot. Wow.”

“I know, but we have more important things to talk about now and we don’t have much time so listen closely, Magnus. This is about the whole shadow world, and about your king or rather your prince at the moment. And about your destiny.”

“What.... what about it?” Magnus asked. “What about the Shadow world? And Alec, and my destiny?”

“The destiny of a great kingdom rests upon your shoulders, Magnus. The once and future king will defeat the queen, but he won’t do it alone. Without you, the queen will win. It is your destiny to help the once and future king fulfill _his_ destiny.”

“But what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to do that?”

“You must figure that out yourself, warlock. I cannot tell you how to fulfill your destiny.” With that the dragon flapped his wings and disappeared far into the cave, far away from where the light from the torch reached.

“Wait, come back!” Magnus yelled after him. “You can’t just leave, come back!”

 _“Come back in times of need,”_ Ithuriel's voice echoed in his head. Magnus cursed and turned around to leave, already dreading all the stairs he had to climb.

 

* * *

 

Alec looked at the door that Magnus had just closed behind himself and sighed. On a normal nigh,t he wouldn’t actually mind if Mangus absolutely wanted to make sure he slept. But tonight… tonight he’d just seen Magnus pretty much naked and soaked, and he was human after all! He had eyes, and he had hormones. And right now they were going crazy.

Alec made sure to lock the door behind Magnus, he didn’t want anyone walking in on him. Once he was sure the door was looked he went back to his bed and shrugged out of his clothes on the way. He had intended to just leave them on the floor but once he reached his bed and looked at the mess, he stood up again and neatly folded his clothes. Yes, his body was screaming for something else but he knew he wouldn’t have been able to focus on anything with a mess in his room. Also, if he didn’t clean it now he wouldn’t do it at all before morning, and then there was a risk of Magnus seeing it and getting suspicious about what he had been doing. And then he would insist on cleaning it up himself, which Alec couldn’t allow.

However, as soon as the clothes were folded and stacked, he returned to the bed immediately. He let his hands wander over his chest, pinching his nipples and stroking skin, leaving him desperate for more. He closed his eyes and imagined it was Magnus touching him, Magnus, who also liked boys. Magnus who was attracted to boys. He imagined Magnus's hands were trailing down his body, Magnus’ hands slowly pushed down his underwear and wrapped his fingers around him. He could imagine Magnus sitting between his legs, his hand stroking Alec slowly, teasing. After today, he also knew how Magnus would look like without clothes on. Magnus's wet underwear hadn't left much to the imagination. He’d studied every inch of his body while he wasn’t looking, every single delicious inch. He knew what it would feel like to have Magnus on top of him after countless hand to hand combat training. He could imagine it all, Magnus’ hand around him, Magnus on top of him, it was almost too much.

Would he be able to do this after the marriage? Lydia would be sleeping in his bed, he couldn’t touch himself with someone else’s name on his lips with her right there. Especially not a boy’s name. So he had to enjoy it these last few months, cause he had a feeling everything would be much harder after the marriage. Or, softer, rather. He was getting a bit lost in his worries about Lydia and lost the moment but then he thought about Magnus and how the water had been running down his chest and thighs, and all thoughts about Lydia were forgotten. Soon enough he was thrusting into his hand, pumping himself quickly. He came after a few more strokes with Magnus’ name on his lips, his come spurting all over his hand and chest.

Alec fell back on the bed, breathing hard. _I should clean up_ was his last thought before he fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

Magnus had his first night of sleep without any interruptions from the dragon. It was nice, not waking up in the middle of the night to a mysterious voice calling for him.

Magnus got out of bed to follow his usual morning routine. Wake up, breakfast, clean up, brush his hair and teeth, get dressed, and then leave to train with Alec. Usually he had twenty, fifteen minutes of extra time which he used to talk to Luke or read a book. Today was no exception.

When he finally set out towards the castle he couldn’t help but be reminded of what had happened the night before. The dragon, angel, whatever. Ithuriel, and the conversation they’d had. Apparently the kingdom rested on Magnus’ shoulders, and it was up to him to make Alec succeed. Well, since he had heard about Alec’s destiny he knew he had to help him so why did it suddenly feel so different? Just because a dragon/angel had told him that it was his responsibility?

Magnus thought about that, about why it felt different now, on his way up the stairs to Alec’s chambers.

He was about to walk in, as usual, when the door didn’t open. “Alec?” Magnus called, trying the door again. It was locked. “Alexander, are you in there?” Magnus heard a loud thud and some other weird sounds before Alec’s voice came through.

“Yes, just give me a second!” Alec said. He heard a lot of shuffling around and tried to figure out what was going on for a few minutes before Alec finally opened the door.

His hair was a mess, half of it plastered to his face and the other half standing straight up. He seemed to have thrown on his clothes in a hurry, his shirt was backwards. When Magnus looked past him he could also see his room was messy, something Alec would never allow it to be.

“What’s going on?” Magnus asked, trying to walk past Alec.

“Nothing. Everything’s fine,” Alec said. His voice was too squeaky, he was lying.

“Why is your room a mess? And why won’t you let me in?” Magnus inquired. He tried to have a better look inside, to see if he could find out what happened in there. But Alec blocked his way.

“Magnus, it’s really nothing. Let’s go,” Alec insisted, pushing at Magnus so he could close the door.

“You should at least get your shirt on the right way. And maybe do something with your hair.” With that said Magnus reached up to try to flatten Alec’s hair out. After a few minutes he finally deemed Alec presentable, as soon as he fixed his shirt, of course. Which he made Magnus turn around for, like Magnus hadn’t seen him shirtless before.

 _Is this because of what I told him yesterday?_ Magnus wondered. What if Alec was freaked out after he told him he was in love with someone that wasn’t a she? What if he thought it was weird and disgusting?

“You can, um, turn back now, Magnus,” Alec said. Magnus turned back around to look at Alec again. Alec didn’t look tired, but why was he so… Magnus didn’t have a word for it. He looked like he had slept, but at the same time everything indicated that he hadn’t.

“Please tell me you slept tonight,” Magnus implored. He sighed relieved when Alec nodded.

“I did, actually. I slept very well.” Alec was blushing, for some reason. But it didn’t feel like he was lying.

“That’s good.”

 

* * *

 

“-ou in there?” Alec woke up to Magnus’ voice calling for him. He was still sleepy, but as soon as he took a look at himself he was suddenly wide awake.

He was covered in dry cum, he was naked, and Magnus was outside. _Thank the angel I locked the door._ “Yes, just give me a second!” Alec said in response to Magnus's call for him. Which quite possibly wasn’t the first one.

Alec rolled out of the bed, a little too quickly, and fell on the floor with a loud thud. He groaned before pushing himself up from the cold wood.

Hurrying over to the closet, he discarded some clothes before he found something good and pulled them on. He realized, when he looked back, that he had made a mess of his room. The sheets were on the floor, clothes were lying on the ground. It wasn't very messy, but in comparison to Alec's usually flawless room, it was awful. But he didn't have time to clean, Magnus was right outside!

Alec hurried to open the door, but stopped in the doorway. He didn't want Magnus to look in, and especially not to enter. Magnus would want to clean it all up, and Alec felt bad for making him do that when he could perfectly well do it later. No one would come to his room anyway.

He tried to convince Magnus to leave, but Magnus absolutely had to fix his hair first. Alec was fine with that, really. Magnus had a way of doing it, his fingers massaged his scalp while he tried to fix Alec's hair. Alec enjoyed it.

He did get scared when Magnus pointed out his shirt was wrong. There was still cum on his chest, which he would have to wash away as soon as possible. But Magnus would see it when he took his shirt off, and that would be… embarrassing. “Uh, Magnus, could you… turn around?” He asked. He changed his shirt quickly when he did.

“Please tell me you slept tonight,” Magnus said as he turned around. Alec understood where he was coming from. Alec looked like a mess, his room looked even worse, and he had been asleep until now, which never happened. He always woke with the bells, no matter how tired he was.

“I did, actually,” Alec said. “I slept very well.” And he did, he'd sleep better than ever.

“That's good,” Magnus said with a smile. “But are you sure everything’s okay?” He asked, concerned.

“Yes, Magnus. Everything is great. I promise.” Magnus frowned, but let it go. “Come on now, I want to get some training done.”

“Of course,” Magnus nodded and then they went down and outside onto the field. “What do you want to practice with?” Magnus asked, looking through the weapons they had in the field.

“Um, let’s do some sword practice today,” Alec said. If he had close, physical contact with Magnus now, he might just die from embarrassment. And true, sword fighting wasn’t exactly fighting from a distance, but he couldn’t do much archery when the field was full, and swords were better than hand to hand.

“Swords? Alright," Magnus said before he went to get some swords for them to fight with.

“Okay, let’s fight,” Alec said. 

They got into positions, which Magnus had gotten really good at. He’d gotten good at all of it, everything Alec had thought him. Sword fighting, hand to hand combat, how to take care of swords and armors, and now he was doing pretty well on riding horses. Magnus was a natural at everything. _I’ll have to teach him how to use a bow and arrow one day,_ Alec thought.

But for the time being, they were practicing with swords, and Magnus was winning because Alec had started to get uncomfortable and bothered by the things hiding under his shirt. And maybe because Magnus was really _good_ at sword fighting. But really, he had to get away so he could clean himself up and possibly the room as well. He tried to think of a plan on how to stop their training session but this only meant that he wasn’t focussing enough on the fight and after a few moments he found himself sitting on the ground with Magnus towering over him.

“I won. I mean I know I’m not that bad but… where are you with your thoughts?” Magnus asked.

“Nowhere,” Alec said immediately, too quick for it to sound true even in his own ears. “I mean… it’s just, Lydia, the wedding. She’s coming tomorrow.” Well, it wasn’t entirely a lie, he had been thinking about that a lot, but that wasn’t what was really distracting him.

“Oh… yeah of course,” said Magnus, somehow he seemed relieved by that answer and Alec wondered what Magnus had been worried about? “Are you sure you want to train now? We could also go into the library and read or spend some time with your sister or do some other fun things to keep your mind away from your… fiance,” he suggested.

“Yeah, that actually sounds great,” Alec said. “But before that, could you give me ten minutes to go to the bathroom? You could just wait here in the meantime.” It was the only thing Alec could think of that Magnus would buy, because Magnus wasn’t stupid. But it also meant he wouldn’t have very much time, so he couldn’t clean the room. He would have to do it tonight, so it was ready for Lydia. His father would be very disappointed if not everything was flawless.

“Sure… but if you need ten minutes then you should definitely think about your diet,” Magnus commented.

“Very funny, Magnus,” Alec said sarcastically. “Considering we eat mostly the same things, maybe you should too, huh?” Magnus rolled his eyes.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” He teased. Alec chuckled and shook his head, heading in the direction of the bathroom. He would have to find a way to get it off without a complete bath, he didn’t have time for that. Once inside he quickly locked the door and looked around as he pulled his shirt off. There was nothing he could use as a washcloth so he sighed and decided to use his shirt. It would be fine, he could tell Magnus that he splashed some water onto his shirt when he washed his hands so he could also go into his room to get a new shirt.

He would just have to walk shirtless all the way from the bathroom to his room. And he would hope no one would be there to see him. Not that the servants hadn’t seen him shirtless before, he often practiced shirtless when it was warm outside. It was just that… this as a completely different reason, and he didn’t want to tell anyone what it was. And after a while the water lie would be pretty obvious.

He left the bathroom and tried to make his way through the castle unnoticed. He was sure a few servants saw him, but they didn’t approach, so it didn’t matter. He cringed at the mess in his room, but ignored it and went to pick a new shirt. He pulled it over his head before leaving to get Magnus by the field again.

 

* * *

 

As Alec left Magnus, someone else approached. Magnus didn’t notice him until he was basically right behind him.

“Hey, Magnus,” Jace said. Why was he talking to him? Ever since their first encounter they didn’t talk. Even when Alec was with Jace, they both ignored each other, it was like a silent rule. But here he was, talking to Magnus.

“Uhm, hi, Jace,” Magnus said, frowning. “Alec’s not here right now, but I can tell him you were looking for him…” Magnus started, assuming Jace was there for Alec. That was the only thing that made sense.

“Thanks, but I am not looking for Alec right now,” Jace said. Jace seemed kind of nervous and Magnus didn’t like that at all. “I… You do know Clary, don’t you?” Magnus frowned even more, but nodded slowly.

“Yeah, I know Clary. Why?” He asked. Then he remembered a conversation he’d had with her and Simon, what felt like long ago. Simon had been shocked to find out Clary had a soft side for Jace. Were they a… thing?

“I, um… I wanted to ask you for some advice,” Jace mumbled.

“Why don’t you ask Isabelle?” Magnus asked. It made more sense, Clary was Isabelle’s servant, and Isabelle was Jace’s sister. “Or even Simon? Simon’s her best friend.” And he was also Jace’s servant. Jace had chosen him for some reason, despite it seeming like he hated Simon.

“Isabelle is my sister, that would just be awkward.” Magnus raised an eyebrow. This was being awkward, so he wasn’t exactly avoiding that. “And I can’t ask Simon, because he never shuts up and would tell Clary everything,” Jace said. “So that leaves only you.”

“Alright… I guess I understand. What do you want?” he asked, he didn’t know if he liked this at all. It was a super weird situation and he usually rather liked to avoid Jace, but it seemed like there was no way out this time, so he decided that it would be better to just help Jace and get this over with as quick as possible.

“Well, her birthday is coming up soon, and… I have no idea what to get her.”

“You’re a prince, you have access to everything, and you don’t know what to get your girlfriend?” Magnus said unimpressed.

“Could you please not be so loud? We’re kind of a secret, dad would kill us if he knew,” Jace said. “And no, I don’t know what to get her, that’s why I’m here.” Magnus took a minute to think about what Clary could want before speaking again.

“There is this thing Luke creates, it’s for your nails. Isabelle loves it, and I can also say that it’s nice, so why don’t you get her something like that? Or… Take her out?” he suggested.

“I suppose I could do some of that,” Jace said, nodding along. “Anything else she might like?” Magnus thought about the interactions he’d had with Clary lately. There was this time she’s spent almost an entire hour complaining about running out of pencils…

“She loves to draw,” Magnus said. “She’s been running out of pencils, and they’re expensive. Especially the green, blue, and purple, that’s the ones she wants to most.” Jace smiled.

“So, nail thing, take her out, and pencils. I can do that. Thank you, Magnus.”

“You know, you don’t need to get her all of that. She’s not expecting you to spoil her just because you’re the prince.”

“I know, but I want to give her everything.” With a quick goodbye Jace started to retreat before he seemed to remember something. “Hey, one last thing,” He said. “I know we didn’t exactly have the best start, but I want to thank you for what you’ve done for Alec. You mean a lot to him.”

“I… thank you, Jace. Good luck with Clary.” And with that Jace left, leaving Magnus alone. Why had it hit him so hard when Jace said that? That he meant a lot to Alec. He already knew that, Luke had told him, Isabelle had told him, Alec himself had told him! But when Jace said it… maybe it was because Jace supposedly hated him, and he had a close relationship with Alec, and now he’d told Magnus that Alec cared about him. It made a rather big smile appear on Magnus’s face when he thought about that but it also reminded him that Alec was gone for a while now. Where was he? He couldn’t really take that long, could he?

After Magnus had found out the _queen of hell_ herself wanted to kill Alec, he was constantly worrying. He decided to wait for a few more minutes before going to look after Alec. However, he didn’t need to when Alec came right before he was about to leave. And he was wearing a different shirt, for some reason.

“Hey, sorry I took so long,” Alec said as he approached Magnus. “I got water on my shirt and had to go change it…”

“Alright… well, you used the time well, because you look better. A bit more like yourself,” he said and then cleared his throat he still wasn’t sure if Alec was okay with knowing that Magnus liked a boy, or if he felt weird about it. They definitely had to talk about that sometime, but Magnus felt like if he brought it up that would be the end of everything. Maybe Alec was just trying to ignore it, and if Magnus played along he would eventually forget about it. So if Magnus brought it up, he could ruin everything.

“Yeah. I guess some cold water was all I needed.” Magnus nodded.

“So, what do you want to do to get your mind off Lydia? We’re gonna try to avoid your usual methods as they are probably going to hurt you,” Magnus said, referring to the bruised knuckles, which Alec said was his way of getting his mind off things.

“I don’t know. Do you want to do anything?” There were a lot of things Magnus would like to do. He wished he could tell Alec about the dragon and his magic, and another part of him wanted to just grab him and hide inside a barn for a while, but none of these thoughts were possibilities so he just shrugged his shoulders instead.

“Not really…. I mean we could ride again? Maybe I’ll be able to sit on one alone sometime soon so we could go for a ride together… it would probably much easier with two horses,” Magnus suggested.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Alec said. It looked like he was thinking something else, but he didn’t say anything. “Do you want to try to ride Shadowhunter alone?”

“Are you sure you’re fine with me doing that? I mean, he’s your horse…” Magnus started.

“Nonsense,” Alec interrupted. “Yes, he is my horse, but as long as it’s okay with him, anyone can ride him. And I think he likes you,” he said. Together they walked to the stables. Magnus noticed, as he’d done so many times before, that he was walking close enough to just take his hand, or to bump their shoulders together, simply touch Alec. But he didn’t, he couldn’t. He was a servant, Alec was the future king. He had a girlfriend, Alec was engaged. And Alec was straight, and their relationship was purely platonic, no romance.

“That’s nice. I like him as well. I mean, I still respect him a lot, but I also like him and I think he is a very good learning horse, you know? I don’t have to be afraid of him because he is gentle and knows that I may need a bit more time. Do you know what I mean?” he asked.

“I know exactly what you mean. My father tried to teach me how to ride on an old, stubborn horse. She refused to do as I said, despite me doing it right. I guess dad just thought I was hopeless, and I was kinda surprised when he got me Shadowhunter. But as soon as I tried to ride him, as soon as he was old and big enough, it was much easier, he listened to every command, even the ones I didn’t say. It was like he always knew what I wanted, what I needed. And he’s still like that.” Alec smiled as he told the story, he seemed lost in his own world. Magnus listened and smiled too, it made him happy to see Alec like this. He fell more and more in love with this man by every second he spent with him.

A few minutes later they arrived at the stables, and Magnus readied himself for another riding lesson, this time alone.

“It’s nothing to worry about, Magnus. You were great last time, and you’re a natural at everything.”

“Thank you, Alexander. And you’re an excellent teacher.” They smiled at each other for a second before Magnus pulled himself together and looked away. “Let’s go ride a horse then.”

They spent the rest of the day with Shadowhunter, and at the end you could say that Magnus was almost ready to ride all by himself. Not that he wanted to, but he knew he could and that was something. Once Shadowhunter was fed and taken care of both Magnus and Alec went home, Magnus being very sore, riding a horse was absolutely not easy but it was fun and he had taken Alec's mind off the events of the next day, at least for the evening.

 

* * *

 

 _She’s coming, she’s coming, she’s coming._ Alec’s brain was on repeat, and only one thing had been running through it all night and all morning. And now she really was coming. Alec could see her carriage from where he standing on the staircase waiting for her.

He had his best clothes on. At least what his father considered his best clothes. According to Izzy, they were “silly and old-fashioned”. He was wearing a red and white tunic with a leather belt holding a sword at his hip. He was also wearing the traditional red cape and a small crown his father had forced on him. Alec didn’t like the crown, it represented everything he’d never wanted. And it was flashy, with diamonds and rubies and sapphires, it attracted too much attention.

At least Magnus was by his side, waiting with him. He’d told Magnus he didn’t have to be there, but Magnus had insisted. “She’s coming,” Magnus whispered to him, like Alec needed a reminder.

“I can see that,” Alec replied.

“Try to relax, maybe she is nice. And who knows, maybe you’ll end up falling in love with her and everything will be perfect,” Magnus said quietly. It was nice to hear those things but Alec knew that this would never happen. He wished it was possible, that he could fall in love with a girl. He’d begged every god and every angel he knew of to make it possible, to let him love a girl. It hadn’t happened. He agreed anyway.

“Yeah, maybe.” The carriage stopped a few meters away from the staircase. The horses were tired and anxious about the new place full of people, but they were quickly taken away to the stables by some servants before another one came to open the door and help a young, beautiful woman get out.

“Wow,” Magnus couldn't help but whisper. Because she was beautiful, extremely beautiful. Alec knew he wasn't attracted to her, and never would be, but she was beautiful, and Alec could live with that, right? The woman, Lydia, walked up the stairs with a natural grace, despite her high heeled shoes and the long dress, and she effortlessly caught everyone's attention. She walked up to Alec, it was probably pretty obvious he was the prince she was going to marry, since he was standing in the middle of the staircase and had a _crown_ on his head. Nobody wears crowns, only the kings! The princes and princesses wearing crowns was a rare event. Mostly because they were heavy, pointless, and annoying.

But either way, Lydia walked up to him, and Alec noticed Magnus bowing for her. Lydia smiled at him and gave him a small nod before turning to Alec. “You must be prince Alexander,” she said.

“Yes, I am and you must be Lydia Br… Branwell,” he said and bit his lip, how could he forget her name?! He was supposed to marry her, he had to know her name. “It’s very nice to meet you.” Lydia chuckled quietly and let Alec take her hand to kiss it.

“That's me,” she said with a smile. “Lovely to meet you too.”

Alec wanted to hate this woman, this person he was being forced to marry. But she was just as much of a victim in this as he was, and she was so nice, Alec couldn't hate her, couldn't even make himself be mad at her.

Alec tried to think of something to do, something to say, but he didn't know what. He didn't know this woman, and she didn't know him. And they were supposed to get married. Alec shot Magnus a look, a silent plea for help. Magnus, being the angel he was, immediately went to rescue.

“How about we go inside?” He suggested. “Much more comfortable than being out here in the sun, right?” He said. Then he seemed to remember Lydia was there and quickly added, “Your highnesses.”  Lydia smiled at him and nodded.

“Wonderful idea,” she said. Alec offered his arm to her to show her the way and gave Magnus a thankful smile. Alec lead Lydia through the corridors, Magnus following after them at a small distance, but still close enough to come to immediate help. Alec loved him so much… _No, I don't!_ He didn't. He had his future wife right beside him, and he would love either her or no one.

He showed Lydia to his chambers, which he had cleaned the night before. “Could we please go inside? I want to sit down for a moment,” Lydia said.

“Of course.” Alec lead her inside and gestured to the bed and the chairs. “Make yourself at home,” he said. Magnus closed the door behind and then probably waited outside of his room. Now Alec was left alone with his future wife and he had no idea what to say to her.

“Uhm, do you… need anything? Want anything?” He asked.

“Yes, actually,” she said, sitting down on the bed. Alec looked nervously at her, wondering about what she could possibly want. “I want you to stop being so formal with me. We're gonna get married, I want to know the real you, not the price, but Alexander.”

“Oh,” Alec said. That was the most intelligent thing his brain came up with. “You, um… oh.” Why was this leaving him so shocked? It wasn't like what Lydia was asking for was absurd, it made sense for them to really know each other. It was just… Alec didn't even know.

“Are you okay? I'm sorry if that was surprising, Alexander.” Alec shook his head to try to focus. She'd called him Alexander, for some reason it felt wrong. It didn't feel like when Magnus called him that, it felt… well, wrong. She wasn't Magnus, and Alec couldn't deny that he would have preferred it if she was.

“Yes, I am fine. But please call me Alec. Only my father calls me Alexander and when he does it’s never something good,” Alec told her and hoped she would understand.

“Of course. Alec it is. Come sit down, Alec.” She patted a spot next to her. How was she so confident? This was Alec's room, Alec's kingdom. He was supposed to do the talking, the showing around. And instead he was awkwardly standing in his room while Lydia was driving everything forwards. Alec moved to sit beside her.

“Tell me about yourself, Alec.”

“About me? There's really nothing interesting to tell. My name is Alexander Lightwood, I'm 21, I'm the future king of Idris, and that's about it.”

“Those are the facts, I already knew that. I want to know who _you_ are.”

“You mean like… I enjoy riding my horse and my favorite weapon is the bow?” he asked, he wasn’t sure if those things would count but he tried.

“Yeah, stuff like that. Tell me more,” she urged him to go on.

“Okay. Um, I love my siblings, but sometimes I get really annoyed by them. I love to go swimming, in lakes and rivers, and even in the sea, I just love to swim. I love all kinds of animals, wild and domesticated alike. I find nature fascinating, and I like to study plants and animals.” Alec kept ranting, he got so lost in telling Lydia what he liked and loved that he almost told her a little too much. “I love the color of the sky when the sun sets, I love Ma-” Alec cut himself if with a fake cough, realizing what he had been about to say.

“You love what?” Lydia asked.

“Nothing, it was nothing,” Alec insisted. “I've told you a lot about me now, tell me about you.” Lydia proceeded to do that. She told him about her love for fighting, which reminded Alec of Izzy. But Lydia wasn't like Izzy, she was strong in her own way, and from what she said she liked, she could kick a guy's ass. But then she also liked other stuff, like the beauty of a flickering candle, or the sounds the waves make, or the feeling of wind when you're riding a horse. The more they talked the more he liked her and it was weird because he really wanted her as a friend. But maybe that was good? Maybe they could make this marriage work. Yes, they would have to make a kid, but they could figure that out. And other then that, as long as they were around each other, it was fine.

It was fun to talk to Lydia, she was smart, had a good sense of humor, liked the same things Alec like, and she seemed great. _If only I could fall in love with a girl. She's perfect._

He didn't know how much time had passed when a knock at the door interrupted them. “Who is it?” Alec asked.

“Um, it's me,” came Magnus's voice from the other side.

“Magnus, come in.” The door was opened and Magnus stepped inside.

“I'm sorry, am I disturbing anything?” He asked.

“Not at all. What is it?”

“Your father wants both of you to officially announce the engagement and the wedding date, now. He's waiting for you on the balcony, they said you would know which one.” Alec nodded and stood, Lydia following right behind. Instead of linking her arm with Alec's again, she walked up to Magnus. “What's your name?” She asked.

“My name? Um, Magnus. Your highness.” Magnus had never acted this way around Alec, not even in the beginning of their time together. It sounded weird how he was answering her. It was forced and Magnus just seemed tense overall. Alec decided that he would need to talk to Magnus later to ask him if he was okay.

“Magnus. I'm Lydia,” she said, stretching out her hand for Magnus to take. “It's clear that you don't usually act very formal with Alec, since you always forget titles. Please don't try just because I'm here, just be like you normally are.” Magnus seemed to relax a bit at those words and shook Lydia's hand.

“Okay, if that's what you want.”

“That is what I want. Just be completely relaxed, I'm not gonna throw you on the dungeons.”

“Thank you. It will make my life a lot easier.” he smiled and then stepped aside. “Your father is still waiting for you, Alexander.”

Alec nodded and quickly looked at Lydia, hoping that she didn’t notice that he felt a lot different about Magnus calling him by his full name. But Lydia didn't seem to have noticed, or at least not to think anything about it.

When they walked out of the room a few minutes later, after Magnus had straightened Alec's crown because “it's not standing straight, Alexander! It doesn't look good like that.” It had certainly been embarrassing because of Lydia watching them with an amused smile. But when they finally left the room Alec and Lydia were walking together, their arms linked, and Magnus behind them. This was how it was going to be in the future. Every time Alec and Lydia were going to walk together, Magnus would have to walk behind them. And they were going be married, so they would be going a lot of places together.

Alec lead them all to the balcony Magnus had mentioned. It was the balcony used to make statements, tell news, basically when they needed everyone to know something, they blew a horn and went to tell the news on that balcony. The square under was also the one used for executions. So yes, Alec had known immediately which balcony his father had meant.

There was a crowd in the square under, so the horn must have been blown while they were in Alec's room. There had to be over a thousand people down there, waiting to know the news. Alec would be the one to tell them. He would have to tell all these people he was getting married.

“Give me a second, please” he requested and once Lydia nodded Alec turned back to Magnus. “I can do this, right? I will get married and everything is going to be fine.”

“Yes, Alexander, you can do this. And maybe not _everything_ will be fine, but life will be pretty great, it'll just be something to get used to. But you can do this, okay?” Alec took a deep breath.

“Okay.”  If Magnus believed in him, he could do it. He turned back to Lydia, and together they stepped onto the balcony. Alec faced the crowd nervously. It wasn't his first time on the balcony, it wasn't even the first time he was the center of attention. But it was the first time he would have to speak more than a few words to his kingdom. He took a deep breath and then looked around.

“Thank you all for coming here today. I have some great news for you all. This is Lydia Branwell, she is a princess from the Londistute Kingdom, and she is also my fiance. We will get married in October, and from that moment on she will live here in Idris by my side as my wife, to help me in need and to support my decisions as well as guide me in my life and raise our children,” he called. “Please welcome Lydia Branwell, my future wife!” Alec was proud of himself for managing to say that, and for managing to sound so excited about it. The crowd roared with applause and cheers, and Alec was glad he could make his kingdom so happy. Even if it cost him his own happiness. But he could still be happy, even without romantic love, right? The problem wasn't that he needed love, he didn't. He could do just fine without it. The problem was that he _was_ in love. And he'd fallen in love with the wrong person.

Alec looked away from the crowd to look at Magnus. Magnus gave him a bright smile and a thumbs up, but it didn't reach his eyes. They definitely needed to talk about what was wrong later but for the moment Alec nodded and then he and Lydia spend a few more minutes on the balcony before they went back inside.

“You must be tired, I’ll show you your room. We are not married yet, so you can enjoy a bed all for yourself,” Alec said to Lydia.

“Yes, thank you, Alec. I'll have to enjoy stretching out on the whole bed while I still can,” she agreed. Yet again, Lydia and Alec walked arm in arm, Magnus behind them. It felt wrong not to have Magnus beside him. Alec led Lydia to her room where she was meet by a servant that had been assigned to help her during her stay. After some quick goodbyes, Alec and Magnus left, Magnus finally standing close enough for Alec to touch him if he wanted. And still, Magnus was weirdly silent.

“What's in your mind?” Alec asked.

“So much,” Magnus sighed.

“Tell me, let me help you carry it.” Magnus shook his head.

“It's nothing, don't worry.”

“Magnus, I don't care if its something to worry about or not. It's on your mind, it's clearly been bugging you. So tell me, I want to help.”

“You’re so sweet, Alexander.” Magnus sighed. “I'm thinking about you getting married, I can't believe it's happening. And I'm also worried… about Lilith. I've been trying to find information on her, but it's like everything's been erased. There's the common knowledge, she's the queen of hell, she was the first woman to walk on earth, she's the mother of all demons, stuff like that. But there's nothing more, nothing useful. It's like it was purposefully destroyed.”

“That's what's been distracting you all day? You've been worrying about me?” Alec asked. “Magnus, you… thank you, but you need to live for yourself too, you can't just think about me.”

“I know that. But that can’t stop me from worrying.” Alec sighed at took Magnus’ hand in his. Magnus didn’t pull back.

“Listen, we will figure this out, and we will defeat Lilith. But there’s no point in exhausting yourself. Right now there’s no immediate danger, let’s take this time to relax. Okay?” Alec gave Magnus’ hand a quick squeeze, and if his heart fluttered when Magnus squeezed back, no one would ever know.

“Okay,” Magnus said with a sigh. “Thank you, Alexander.” Alec nodded.

“Of course, no problem.” Alec wanted to pull Magnus in for a hug, hold him tight and forget about all their problems. Come to think of it, he hadn’t hugged Magnus yet, not even once. But before he could gather up the nerve Magnus pulled away.

“Good night, Alexander. I’ll see you tomorrow,” He said and walked away, leaving Alec alone in the middle of the corridor. This was so unlike Magnus, what could be wrong with him? Was he ill? Alec shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. Well, tried. The crown was in the way. _Fuck the crown._ Alec didn’t want it, he hated it. Hated everything it represented, hated the weight it put on him.

Alec walked the rest of the way to his room, where he closed the door behind him before collapsing down on the bed. He wanted to throw the crown away, throw it against a wall and hope for it to break. But he didn't. He took it off and placed it on the bedside table carefully before taking off the belt and the sword too, leaning it against the wall by the bed. He thought about getting out of the rest of the clothes, but he couldn’t bring himself to bother.

Usually Magnus was here, and he would refuse to leave before Alec was ready for bed. If he was here now he would have pulled Alec out of bed, helped him out of his clothes, and then tucked him into the bed. What would it be like when Lydia was going to sleep with him?

Without Magnus here, Alec simply lied on the bed and hoped to fall asleep. He knew he probably wouldn’t, couldn’t. But he hoped, and he begged that someone would have mercy on him.

 

* * *

 

Now that Magnus thought about it, he should probably have followed Alec all the way to his room. Knowing him he wouldn’t even get out of his clothes, much less get any sleep. But the urge to embrace him, hold him tight and shield him from everything trying to hurt him, had gotten so big, he had to leave before he gave into it.

It wasn’t that he thought Alec wouldn’t want it, it would just be a friendly hug. It was really just because Magnus didn’t think he could do it. If he hugged Alec, he might never let go. And he had stuff he needed to do anyway.

It had been less than two days since he talked to Ithuriel, but he needed to talk to him again. He’d spent all his free time trying to find information about Lilith, both in Luke’s books and in the castle’s library books. There was nothing, anywhere. And Ithuriel had told him to come back in times of need, well this was a time of need.

Magnus walked in the direction of his home until he was out of view, and then turned around to head towards the dungeons. He avoided all guards again and found the glamoured wall. That had been his biggest fear, that he wouldn’t find it without the voice calling for him. But he did, and he followed the dark corridor again. He hadn't brought a torch this time, instead, he lit a blue flame in his hand. He'd started to get the hang of it, he could make it brighter, dimmer, bigger, smaller. He could even make it move around in the room, although that required some concentration.

“Ithuriel!” Magnus called into the cave as soon as he got to the ledge. He shined as much light as he could, but didn't even get close to illuminating the whole cave. He kept calling and yelling for him, but Ithuriel didn't appear. Magnus was about to give up, but he tried one last time. He put all his strength into the words, tried to make them as commanding as possible. Maybe if he sounded confident enough, Ithuriel would come. He said the words loudly, but not yelling like he'd done earlier. “Show yourself,” he said.

Barely a second passed before he heard a loud growl from the darkness. “You're playing a dangerous game, son of Asmodeus.” Magnus heard the flapping of wings and rattling chains before Ithuriel came into the light, his golden eyes looking at Magnus with anger.

“I'm not playing any game, I need answers!” Magnus took a step closer to the dragon. He wanted to be as close as possible, but he couldn't go far without falling to his death, which he would prefer to avoid.

“I know what answers you seek, and I do not have them,” Ithuriel said.

“What do you mean you don't have them? I thought you were an angel, aren't you supposed to know everything?”

“We only know what we've seen, and we do not see the demon’s doing.”

“Are you saying a demon erased all information on Lilith?” So Magnus was right? It had been destroyed on purpose.

“There has never been any knowledge about Lilith. She keeps to herself, and she keeps it a secret. Only the myths can tell you about her weakness.”

“I've read all the myths! Multiple times, again and again, looking for something. There's nothing in them, no information, nothing that can help.”

“Look closer and you might find the knowledge you need. I cannot help you with this, son of Asmodeus.”

“Fine. Coming here was a waste of time,” Magnus snapped. So much for having an angel helping him.

Magnus headed back home, he left the dungeons and made his way through the castle. He stopped himself when he passed the corridor to Alec's room. He should at least go check if everything was fine after he'd left.

He made his way to Alec’s room carefully. Jace and Isabelle's rooms were in the same corridor, and he didn't want to wake any of them. He didn't knock at Alec's door, if Alec happened to be asleep he wouldn't want to wake him. He opened the door as carefully as he could and stepped inside Alec's room.

Alec was lying in the bed, and he didn't seem to hear that Magnus had come in. Maybe he was asleep. But as Magnus approached he could see Alec was still wearing his clothes. He'd at least taken off the crown and the belt with the sword, but otherwise he was still in the clothes he'd used all day.

“Alexander?” Magnus whispered, just to check if he was awake. He didn't get any answer. Carefully he pushed at Alec's shoulder to make him turn over on his back. “Oh, Alexander.” Alec's face was tearstained, like he'd cried himself to sleep. “It's okay now. Everything's going to be okay.” Magnus brushed his hand over Alec's cheek, pushing a black lock out of his face. As carefully and silent as he could, he started to undress Alec.

He pulled off the shoes and socks first before moving to his tunic. He pulled it over his head and folded it before putting it down and moved to the pants. Alec's eyelids fluttered open. “Magnus?” He mumbled.

“Yes, is me. Go back to sleep, Alexander,” Magnus said softly. He left Alec in his underwear to pull the covers out from under him. He pulled them up to Alec's chin before running a hand through his hair. “Sleep well, Alexander,” he said. Without thinking about it he leaned down to kiss Alec's forehead, his lips lingering on the soft skin. He pulled away before he did something else, like actually kiss Alec. He quickly moved back from the bed, closed the door behind him, and left the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should this stay on mature or should I make it explicit? I don't know, what do you guys think?  
> Also, I don't know if any of you noticed, but Lydia is from the Londistute kingdom, basically the London Institute because I suck at making up names. Please don't judge me.


	10. Telling the truth

Lydia spent an entire week in Idris. An entire week where Alec and Magnus had pretty much no time to be just them, an entire week that Alec spent showing Lydia around and talking and getting to know her. He seemed to like her, which was good. If he was going to marry her, the least he could do was like her. Maybe he could even fall in love with her.

Magnus had spent all his time looking for information about Lilith. Alec basically didn’t need him, they didn’t train, didn’t go anywhere or do anything together. Magnus only took his clothes to the laundry room and brought them back up to his room when they were clean. So he had lots of spare time.

He read the myths and legends again, like Ithuriel had told him to. He took in every word, studied and thought about every sentence, but there was no information there. When he got too frustrated with that he read up on Malcolm’s problem instead. It had been almost two weeks since he’d promised him to find him a way to be with his girlfriend. He’d found something, something he thought he could use. Instead of bringing the woman back, he could make sure Malcolm would go to her when he died. He said he would never go to heaven because of Lilith’s blood in his veins, well Magnus had found a way to get rid of that, to purify his blood. Well, he’d read about the spell, now he just needed to find it. 

From time to time Luke would come to his room and make him eat something, or ask him for help when he had too many clients to handle himself. But mostly Magnus just spent his time alone. Alec didn’t come by, Dot was busy on the farm, Catarina’s father, the blacksmith, had fallen ill, and Catarina had to help take care of him. 

But every night Magnus left his room to go check on Alec, to make sure he was sleeping. He often found him lying awake on his bed, thrashing around trying to sleep. Nights like those he would stay there until sleep finally took Alec away. Alec had protested, told him to go away, insisted that he was fine. They were both stubborn, but in the end Alec would always give in. 

One of the nights, three days after Lydia had arrived, Magnus had gone looking for Alec and found an empty room. That night he saw where the bruises on Alec’s knuckles came from. 

Magnus had been worried about Alec and went to look for him, of course he'd considered that Alec might spend the night with Lydia, but Alec would have told him. So Magnus walked through the castle and eventually found Alec, hitting a punching bag like crazy. 

“Alexander!” he’d yelled, trying to make him stop. He’d pulled Alec away from the bag, and after minutes of convincing Alec to let him, he'd inspected his hands before Magnus took him back to his room. He was worried Alec might break a knuckle if he kept going like that. Alec knew how to punch, but he hadn’t really been focusing on the technique when Magnus found him. 

That night, after Alec was in deep sleep, Magnus had whispered a few words and let a healing spell cover Alec’s hands. It wasn’t enough for anyone to get suspicious about the fast healing, just a bit to relieve the pain and reduce the bruising a bit. It hurt him to see Alec in pain, psychological or physical alike. 

Now, after an entire week, Lydia was heading back to her own kingdom. It was still dawn, but when the sun stood tall Lydia would be set on her way back. They would have two months before she returned for the wedding. Two months until Alec was getting married, until all of their lives would change forever. And not necessarily for the better. At least not Magnus’s. Lydia and Alec seemed to like each other, which was good. It made Magnus feel a lot better, at least Alec didn’t have to marry someone he hated. But it still hurt and Magnus didn’t want Alec to get married. He knew it made him selfish, but he couldn't help but wish the wedding wouldn't happen.

But Alec was getting married, there was nothing either of them could do about it. Maybe Alec could refuse, but Robert would not like that, there would be consequences if Alec refused. And Alec wouldn’t do that anyway, he would do anything to please his father, and he would do anything for the kingdom. Sometimes Magnus wondered if Alec loved the kingdom more than he loved himself, if he needed his father’s acceptance to feel worthy of being who he was. 

Magnus shook away the thoughts about Alec and went back to the book he was reading.

 

* * *

 

 

Hours later Magnus was standing next to Alec again, just like he did when Lydia arrived. 

“Alec, it was a pleasure to meet you and I’ll see you in two months. I’m actually very glad I'm gonna marry you,” she said with a soft smile before he leaned in and kissed Alec's cheek. “And you, Magnus. It was nice to meet you. I expect to see a bit more of you in the future and till then… take care of my fiance.”

“Of course, I will. And it was my pleasure to meet you, Lydia,” Magnus agreed, it wasn’t really a lie, he did like her, he just didn’t like the reason she was there. 

“I’ll see both of you soon,” Lydia said with a smile before walking down the rest of the stairs and getting into the carriage. Magnus and Alec watched as the horses took the carriage away, leading it through through the streets. When the carriage faded out of view, Alec turned to Magnus.

“Hi,” He said softly.

“Hi,” Magnus replied with a smile.

“It’s been a long week. I’ve missed you,” Alec said, his eyes shining with honesty. 

“I missed you too.” Magnus had missed him so much, it was almost ridiculous how much he’d missed him. 

“Let’s take a day off today, just do nothing,” Alec suggested. 

“Do you want to go to that clearing again and swim?” Magnus asked. That had been a great day, a day he wouldn’t mind repeating. 

“Actually, I was thinking we could stay in today. Do something here in the castle.” 

“Like what? There aren’t very many things to do here, except reading maybe.”

“I grew up in this castle, Magnus. I know all about how to spend time here,” Alec said. “I can show you my secret room, come on!” He exclaimed, taking Magnus’ hand to pull him along. 

“Secret room?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah. The castle is full of hidden corridors and secret rooms, me and Izzy and Jace found one when we were kids, it was our getaway.” Alec took Magnus through the corridors, but all Magnus could think of was Alec’s hand wrapped around his, pulling him along. 

It didn’t take very long for Magnus to have no idea where they were. He wouldn’t find back out without Alec, but he didn’t think Alec would leave him alone so he didn’t care about that, he just followed Alec.

“In here,” Alec said. He let go of Mangus’ hand to move a painting of an angel hanging on the wall. Behind it was a handle, and when Alec pulled it a door opened. Magnus would never have guessed there was a door there if Alec hadn’t just opened it. It was almost like it was glamoured…

Magnus didn’t have any more time to think about it when Alec entered the small corridor, almost too small for him to fit in it. But he did, and Magnus followed after him. The door closed itself behind Magnus, and they were left in complete darkness. 

“Don’t worry, take my hand,” Alec said from the darkness. Magnus reached blindly in front of him and found Alec’s outstretched hand. Alec pulled him through the darkness, and Magnus followed, trusting Alec to not run them off a cliff. He had to resist the urge to lit a light in his hand, the darkness was nerve-racking. 

“We’re here,” said Alec after a little while, and soon another door was opened. Alec let go of his hand and Magnus heard him fumble around before a small candle was lit, giving the room some light. Alec used that light to then light a torch hanging on the wall. The light revealed a small room, with a few bookshelves and a little fireplace. There was a table and two chairs. Nothing else, but since the room was so small it didn’t seem empty. 

“Wow… I didn’t know such a room existed,” Magnus said. 

“We found this room when we were kids, dad was mad about something, so we were trying to find somewhere to hide from him. We ended up here.” Alec gestured to the room. “After that we started coming here more often. We brought a chess board, it should be here somewhere.” Alec started looking around the room, he opened a small box that had been left in a corner and smiled.

“Here it is,” He said. “We haven’t been here in years.” He brought the game to the table and gestured for Magnus to sit down on one of the chairs. “Do you want to play?” He asked.

“Yeah, let’s play,” Magnus smiled. He’d only played chess a few times before. There had been one person with a chess board in their village, an old woman that lived alone. Sometimes she would invite Magnus to play with her. It used to be the most exciting thing that could happen. 

The board looked handmade, and the pieces were of silver and gold. Magnus took one in his hand to admire it. This was nothing like the wooden pieces he’d used before. 

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Alec said when he noticed Magnus looking at the pieces. “It’s been in our family for centuries, dad says it was given to the Lightwood family when we were first crowned.”

“Didn’t your father notice when you took it?” Magnus asked. Alec shook his head.

“Dad hasn’t cared about games for years. He taught me to play when I was seven, and a few years later he started losing interest for that kind of stuff. I’m the one who taught Izzy and Jace to play, and then when we brought it here, he didn’t even notice that it was gone.”

“Oh. Let’s play then,” Magnus said, placing the piece down on its place. “Please be nice, I haven’t played in a while and I didn’t play it often in my life so far.”   

“I’ll see what I can do,” Alec grinned. “But I think I’d actually enjoy winning.” 

“I didn’t ask you to let me win, just that I want you not to… completely crush me, and play nice. Once I get the hang of it you can play a bit more aggressively.”

“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind. Now… you start.”

Magnus nodded and looked down at the board before he moved a figure. “Do you want to talk about how you feel?” he asked. “Or… about how I sat with you every night? What your plan is when Lydia moves into your room? Or rather when you two move into another room, since she can’t move into your childhood bedroom. There is not enough space for a queen's closet”

“I don’t want to talk about how you sat next to me. I want for us both to pretend it never happened. I am very… grateful, actually, that you did it. But nobody can know about that. You understand that, right?”

“Of course I do,” Magnus said, and he did understand it, but it didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt to hear Alec say it like that.

“I also have no idea how it’s going to work with Lydia. I mean I like her, I really do. She is very nice, intelligent and we work together very well but … I don’t love her and I don’t think I ever will. I am worried about sleeping next to her or… with her. I- I am not sure if I can, I mean Izzy actually told me a lot of things, most them were things I didn’t want to know but she meant it’s important for our marriage to work so… I listened to everything”  They had moved more and more figures while they talked and it was starting to get a bit difficult for Magnus to follow the game and what Alec was saying.

“You shouldn't worry too much, Alexander. I mean... erm… this is a very weird question I know but… you are able to… you know?” he asked and looked down at his crotch.

“Yeah, yeah I… I can- That’s not the problem,” Alec said and blushed deeply.

“Okay… great, so this shouldn’t be a problem then so stop worrying” Magnus suggested and looked up at Alec for a short moment before he focused on the chess board again. “Do you know which room you two will move into?” he asked to quickly change the subject.

“No, I don’t know. Father will give us one, probably one that’s closer to the office room and the other official places so we can be there quickly in case of an emergency”

“Mhm, sounds a lot like your father,” Magnus agreed.

“I know… Magnus, I know,” he sighed. “Now… this was supposed to be a relaxing day.”

“I’m sorry. I just worry about you, Alexander. Just like you worry about everything else, except for yourself, I am here to do that for you”

“Thank you, Magnus, that’s very nice of you.” They played in silence for a while after that until Alec decided to talk to him again. “Listen, it’s just… so much. I'm getting married in two months and I like her but she’s not… my cup of tea. The problem is just that I will never be able to get what I really want and so I try to not want anything for myself because it’s easier like that. And then there is also the Lilith thing. I mean, I’m supposed to kill the queen of hell and… yes, you are a big help but you are just a human, too so... What are we doing, what are we able to do? I am not the happiest with my life right now but I don’t want to die because of that demon trying to kill me, you know? It’s all… just too much and I feel very… very under pressure and I just want to curl up and cry.” 

“Sometimes it helps to cry. And you know I won’t judge you. I understand all of that. It  _ is  _ a lot and there is a lot of pressure on you but I know you, you will pull through all of this and you know that I will be by your side the whole time. I love you, Alexander. You are my best friend and I’ll do everything to help you.” Magnus hasn't actually meant to say he loved him, it had just slipped out. But at least he'd said Alec was his best friend, so he would assume he meant that kind of love. It was true, Alec was his best friend. But Magnus loved him like more than a friend,  _ wanted  _ him like more. 

“Thank you. That means a lot.” The game was nearing the end, Magnus had taken one of Alec's towers, one horse, and multiple pawns. Alec was winning though, having taken one of the towers, one of the horses, both of the bishops, and pretty much all the pawns. And he'd already had Magnus in check multiple times. Magnus knew he wouldn't last much longer, he'd only managed this long because Alec was being soft on him. 

“Checkmate,” Alec said, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. Magnus smiled too.

“We already knew this would be the outcome,” he said.

“Hey, you did not play badly. You were an excellent opponent, actually. You asked me to go soft on you, but you would have won if I had.”

“Really?” Alec nodded. “Thank you, Alexander. This was fun.” Alec smiled again, soft, hazel eyes looking into Magnus’. Alec shivered.

“Are you cold?” Magnus asked immediately, worried. The room was quite chilly, it was deep in the walls of the castle, there were no windows there and no one had been there in years, probably. “I'll lit the fireplace,” Magnus said before Alec could even answer, already moving away from the table. He used the lit candle to start a fire, illuminating the room even more and giving away a cozy warmth. The small room immediately became more comfortable.

Magnus turned around and saw that while he had done that, Alec had looked through the bookshelves and now had another game in his hands. It was a game Magnus had played a lot before. He and his mother used to play it, they used small bowls and pebbles though, not an actual board. The game Alec had in his hands was mancala.

“Wanna play this?” He asked, holding up the board. Magnus nodded, a day off to just play games sounded perfect, and he had a feeling they wouldn't leave this room until they were both starving.

 

* * *

 

An entire week passed, one week closer to the marriage. Magnus and Alec had fallen back into their normal routine. Meet at eight, train for a few hours, eat, do some random stuff, train some more, go to sleep, and then everything again. Magnus kept insisting on staying in Alec's room till Alec fell asleep, he said that until Lydia and Alec moved into the same room he would do it every single night to make sure Alec was sleeping. Alec had never had someone worry so much about him, someone who didn't stop even when Alec asked them to. Maybe that wasn’t entirely true, he'd had Izzy all his life, but she was family so that was different.

Alec didn't know what he would have done without Magnus, and he never wanted to find out. Magnus was a constant urge Alec had to resist, but he was also what was keeping Alec on earth, Alec's rock. Someone Alec could always lean on, count on. And they had barely known each other for a month. But Alec was just grateful to have him in his life now, now when he needed him the most. 

He was in his room right now, waiting for Magnus to come. Their week had been pretty normal, but now Alec needed some change. He was going to take Magnus for a ride again, except this time they were going on separate horses, and they weren't going to the lake. They were just gonna take a ride through the woods.

There was a knock on the door and a moment later Magnus came through the door. “Good morning. Ready to train?” he asked.

“We're not gonna train today, I'm tired of training,” Alec said, shaking his head. Magnus frowned.

“Okay, what do you want to do then?” He asked.

“We're going for a ride. On separate horses.” Alec chuckled at Magnus’s expression. “Magnus, you're excellent at controlling Shadowhunter, and I'll get you a horse that's just as calm and obedient, okay?”

“Do you think I'm ready?” Magnus asked.

“I know you're ready, Magnus. Trust me. And if something goes wrong, I'll be right there to help you.”

“Okay, then. Sure, if you think that’s a good idea,” he mumbled and nodded slowly. “Where do you want to ride to?”

“Just a stroll through the woods, nowhere special. We could bring some food and have a picnic along the way,” Alec suggested.

“That sounds fun. I'll go get food from the kitchen while you prepare the horses.”

“Sounds great, I'll meet you in the stables,” Alec agreed.

With that, they parted and went their separate ways. Alec moved to the stabled and got Shadowhunter ready and then looked at the other horses. It took him a little while but in the end he decided to go with Jem, he was usually pretty calm, although a bit difficult sometimes, but Alec had a feeling that he would go great with Magnus’s style of riding. He was a beautiful stallion, his fur a shining silver color, his mane white, and beautiful, calm silver eyes. Magnus would love him. 

Alec prepared him too before waiting for Magnus outside the stables. He didn't have to wait long for Magnus to appear, he showed up a few minutes later, a backpack with him.

“Hey,” Magnus said as he approached. “The cook gave me enough food for the rest of the week, so we can stay out all day without having to worry about starving.” Alec nodded.

“That’s good. But you don’t have to carry it yourself, come here,” he said, gesturing for Magnus to come. When Magnus approached, Alec took the bag from him. He moved the contents to the saddlebags instead. “There, now you don’t have to worry about that.” 

Alec looked back at Magnus to find him staring intently at the new horse. “Is this the one I’m gonna ride?” He asked. Alec nodded. 

“Yes. This is Jem. He is very calm and very easy to ride on,” he said. Alec watched as Magnus approached the horse carefully and put a careful hand on Jem’s muzzle. Alec gave them a minute before he spoke again. “Okay, time to get on him,” he said. He watched as Magnus got into the saddle. It wasn't perfect yet, but he managed, and that was all that mattered. Alec followed onto Shadowhunters saddle right after. 

“Wow, okay. This is different,” Magnus mumbled. It was his first time sitting on a horse without Alec either behind him or holding the reins, or at least standing right by him.

“Hey, Magnus. It's okay, you're doing great. You can do this,” Alec encouraged.

“Thank you, it helps to know that you are there… but it’s just very different to how it used to be when you were sitting behind me,” he explained and slowly made Jem move forward a bit. He only spoke again once he stopped the horse. “So, where do you want to go then?” 

“Nowhere specific, I just want to be on the move and have you there with me, since we didn’t get to spend much time together when Lydia was here,” Alec said and squeezed his legs together to make Shadowhunter move forward.

“Alright, yeah, yeah. I don’t think I’ll be able to talk while we are moving though, because I have to concentrate on not falling down and actually making Jem move into the direction I want him to move in,” Magnus told Alec and looked after him so he could follow him. 

Alec nodded and decided to move a bit slower, at least at first, until Magnus got comfortable and was ready to handle some more speed. He would be okay with not talking or not having someone to answer him for a while. He was just glad to be able to spend time with Magnus.

They started to ride in the direction of the forest and for a long time neither of them said anything, but it was comfortable. Alec let his horse make a lot of the decisions about where to go and Magnus was great at following him. Of course Alec checked every once in a while if Magnus was still behind him. He was greeted with a smile every time he looked at Magnus and Alec had to lie if he had to say he didn’t like it. Magnus’s smiles just had that effect on him, as well as others which he tried very hard to ignore. 

“Let’s take a break” Alec decided after they have been riding for about two hours and reached a small clearing, which just seemed perfect for a break. They didn’t get to see much except trees and trees and even more trees. The most exciting thing that had happened, were a family of rabbits crossing the road, but Alec didn’t mind this. On the contrary, he actually rather enjoyed it, to have something boring, something he didn’t have to think or care about.

 

* * *

“Oh god, yes please,” Magnus agreed, his butt was hurting and his legs were already sore. He did like riding but it was so exhausting and he still didn’t get it all right. He needed that break, probably even longer than Alec. It was nice, in a way. 

“What? Hurting already?” Alec teased and Magnus had to look away because this smile made him want to kiss Alec.

“Shut up! It’s my first time riding alone, why did you never mention that it is this tiring?” 

“It isn’t, you just have to get used to it and then you’ll love it.”

  
“Oh, I do like it, Alec. I just find it… not easy and exhausting,” Magnus explained, and he did like riding. It was a fun thing to do and it made him feel free, like he could go anywhere. He slowly crawled down from Jem's back and sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree as he watched Alec get down from his horse as well. 

“Here, you should drink something.” 

“Thank you, and you should sit down as well,” Magnus commented as he took a bag of water from Alec, who was still standing in front of him.

“I’m fine…” Alec mumbled and looked down for a while. “How will it be? When I’m married, will I never have time to see you? To train with you or to go for a ride?”

“I... I don’t know, but I don’t think so. I mean the first few weeks you'll be busy with Lydia, since you are basically on your honeymoon, so you should show her everything and spend a lot of time with her but… after a while, you’ll get back into your normal schedule and that’s where I come back.” 

“Hm… I don’t want that. Could you imagine being her... Servant as well? That way we might get to spend more time together? I would have you to ask if I needed help or advice, which I will definitely need in the future,” Alec mumbled.

Magnus didn’t know what to say, he wanted to spend time with Alec, too but becoming Lydia's servant as well? He wasn’t sure if he wanted that. It would mean a lot more work for him and he’d have to work for the woman who was married to the man he was in love with. 

“Erm… I’m honored that you are thinking about me but… I don’t think this is such a good idea, I mean how can I train with you but at the same time help her get dressed or do whatever she needs me to do? I think I can only work for one of you. Is it even legal to be the servant of two people at the same time?” 

“Yeah, no. You're probably right, sorry. It was just an idea.” 

“The idea, itself wasn’t too bad, Alexander. It’s just that it wouldn’t work. But you will always know where to find me if you need help. And once you and Lydia find a rhythm I’ll come back into the picture to train with you and help you with whatever it is that you need.” Alec smiled.

“Yeah, that makes sense. It'll be awful without you though.”

“What, are you scared you won't manage to get your shirt on alone?” Magnus teased. “You'll be just fine, Alec. And I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone,” he assured him. “Sit down now,” he said, pulling at Alec's sleeve. Alec finally sat down, and Magnus stood up to get the food. He returned with the saddlebags and sat down beside Alec. He handed him a sandwich. 

“Thank you,” Alec said. They started to eat in silence, none of them knew what to say to the other. 

“Can I ask you something?” asked Magnus after a while. It had been the way it always was but some part of Magnus just had to make sure that Alec was not weirded out by him, since he knew that Magnus was interested in a man, but still dated Dorothea.

“Of course, what is it?” Magnus took a deep breath, it was now or never. He had to ask him, had to know.

“Are you… do you think it's weird? That I like- love. That I love a man?” He asked, holding his breath while he waited for an answer. He couldn't look at Alec, he was scared of what he would see on his face.

“What? Magnus, no. Look at me,” Alec said. Magnus glanced up at him carefully. “I don't think it's weird, you love who you love, there's nothing you can do about it.”

“But don't you think it's wrong for me to be dating Dot when I know I'll never love her like that? It's unfair to her, she doesn't deserve it.”

“Magnus, if you think it's unfair to her, why haven't you broken up with her?”

“I don't want to disappoint her, hurt her. I… I care about her, I  _ like  _ her. But just as a friend.”

“Maybe you should tell her that, I'm sure she would understand,” Alec suggested.

“I... yeah I might do that, I mean I should and I will… I just had to make sure you don’t mind it. I have been... well, scared that you might not be okay with this and that you would think less of me or think I'm different.”

“Magnus, I would never think differently of you. You're still the same, still you.” Magnus smiled lightly and looked away.

“Thank you, Alexander.” Alec looked like he was about to say something, but a strange noise from behind them interrupted him. They both turned around to look where it came from, but there was nothing there. 

“I'm sure it was just a deer,” Alec said, turning back.

“Yeah, a deer…” It could have been, but Magnus didn't think so. If only because of the different atmosphere that had set in the clearing. Like some kind of weird energy. “Hey, can we get out of here?” He asked Alec.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“No, no. Nothing's wrong. I just… I wanna ride Jem again,” Magnus lied. He was actually just fine on the ground, but he'd started to get a bad feeling, so he ignored his hurting butt and stood up.

“Erm, yeah sure. Further in or back home?”

“Back home, please.” Alec nodded.

“Okay then, let's go.” He stood up too and went to get Shadowhunter. The horse seemed anxious too. 

“Let's get out of here,” Magnus mumbled as he got on Jem as steadily as he could. He gave the order to walk, but Jem didn't move. “Um, Alec? He- he's not moving,” Magnus said. Alec turned around on Shadowhunters back to look at him.

“Try again,” he said. And Magnus did. He tried three more times. “He's not moving, Alexander,” Magnus insisted. 

“And he won't be moving,” said a voice from behind them. “He's under my spell.” Magnus turned around as much as he could in the saddle and looked for the source of the voice. There was still nothing there. Alec was already unsheathing his sword, looking around them to try to spot the person who’d spoken.

“Where are you?” He asked. “Show yourself!” Something started to flicker in the middle of the clearing. Slowly a woman took form in front of them.

“I'm right here, king.”

“I'm no king,” Alec said. He maneuvered closer to the woman, Shadowhunter was following orders just fine. The woman scolded at the horse for a second before looking back up at Alec.

“You are the king everyone is waiting for. You are the once and future king.” 

“Will people please stop saying that? Who are  _ you?”  _

_ “ _ I am the spirit of this clearing. You woke me up when you stepped on it.”

“Oh. I'm… sorry?” Alec said, looking confused. Magnus sure as hell was confused.

“Um, why won't you let me leave?” He asked the woman. 

“You… you are something special, aren't you?” The woman said, looking curiously at him.

“What? What do you mean?” Magnus asked. 

“There's so much power inside you, I can feel it.” Magnus blanched completely. If the woman was a spirit she would be able to tell the energy from his magic. And if she told Alec…  _ shit. _

“Why won't you let me leave?” Magnus asked again. Right now he  _ really  _ wanted to leave.

“I want to move on,” the woman said. Magnus frowned.

“What?” 

“Only the king can send me to the other world.” 

“What are you talking about? What other world?” Alec asked.

“I am stuck in the shadow world, only the king can help me through the veil.” 

“You know what, I'm tired of this. Can you either start making sense or let my friend go?” Alec snapped, a reaction Magnus totally agreed on, since he was really starting to hate all those cryptic messages from everyone concerned in this  _ forever king _ scenario. Why couldn’t they just speak clearly what it was they wanted, or what they meant? 

“I am bound to this clearing by a promise I made. Only when the king is ready can I go.”

“When I am ready for what?” 

“When you are ready for the sword.”

“What fucking sword?!” The woman waved her hand, and in the middle of the clearing the ground split as a stone rose out of it. And on the stone was a sword, sticking out of it.

“I vowed to protect the Soulsword till the king was ready for it. You must pull the sword out of the stone,” the woman said. 

“Pull it out? Sure, yeah. No problem.” Alec sheathed his own sword and gracefully jumped off Shadowhunter's back and went to the stone. He gripped the handle and pulled it hard. It didn't move an inch. He pulled it harder, tried again and again, till he suddenly pulled back with a yell. 

“What was that?” Alec exclaimed, looking at the woman as he shook his hand hard, like he'd burned it. 

“That means you are not ready, the sword does not find you worthy yet.” 

“And it had to electrocute my hand to get that point across? It couldn't just, I don't know, write me a letter?” the woman scolded.

“The sword does not work that way, young king. You must make yourself worthy to pull it out.”

“What am I going do with the damn sword anyway? I already have a countless amount of swords.” The woman shook her head.

“This isn't just any sword, this is the Soulsword, the sword of kings, the sword destined to kill the queen.”

“I thought there was a person destined to kill the queen, not a sword,” Alec commented. The woman shot him a pointed glare. He really was pressing all the buttons.

“The king will kill the queen. The king will wield a sword when he kills the queen, that's this sword. The king will also need help to be worthy of the sword, and to get to Lilith. The king will kill the queen, but he won't do it alone.”

“And I suppose you're the one supposed to tell me how to be worthy of the sword.”

“No, you have someone else for that.” The woman's eyes flickered to Magnus, but they looked back at Alec before he had time to follow their line of sight. 

“You know what, whatever. If you have to stay here till I can pull the sword out, and refuse to tell me how to do it, you'll just have to stay here longer. I'll figure it out, I'll come back. Now let Magnus go.” the woman sighed.

“I wish I could tell you how to be worthy, but I do not know. Come back when you are ready, young king. The shadow world depends on it.” With those words, the woman disappeared but the stone with the sword stayed in the middle of the clearing.

“What the hell just happened?” Alec asked, turning to look at Magnus. Magnus shook his head.

“I have no idea. Let's get out of here,” he said. Jem was moving again, so they could finally leave the square.

“Yeah, let's go home,” Alec agreed, jumping back up on Shadowhunter. 

 

* * *

 

That night Magnus went to see Ithuriel again. He knew he probably wouldn't get any usable information, but he had to ask about the sword. How was Alec supposed to make himself worthy of it? 

“Ithuriel!” He called out to the cave. He wasn't very surprised when he didn't get an answer. “Tell me about the sword!” He yelled. “Come on now, be helpful for once.” Magnus heard a rumbling noise, and then the familiar sound of wings as Ithuriel got into the line of sight. 

“The sword is destined to kill the queen, and only when he is worthy can the king pull it out.”

“Why does everyone keep repeating the same thing? Tell me how to make Alec worthy.”

“That you must figure out on your own. I cannot tell you.”

“What  _ can  _ you tell me? You only ever tell me what I already know, and when I think you're saying something useful, it turns out to be just another riddle. Will you ever just spell everything out? Not everyone can see everything,” Magnus snapped up at the dragon.

“It is not my job to tell you  _ how  _ to do it. I simply tell you what you have to do. You must figure out yourself how to get through with it.” Magnus sighed again.

“Thank you, Ithuriel, for being so helpful. What would I do without you?” He mumbled under his breath as he turned around to leave.

 

* * *

 

He spent the entire week buried in books. Sometimes even when he was with Alec they would go to the library to try to read anything about the Soulsword. They didn't find much, at least nothing useful. They found out the sword could bring out the truth, although they had no idea how. And they read that the sword would only be wielded by someone worthy, although it didn't say how to become worthy.

“Magnus, do you ever think this is all a mistake? Maybe I'm not this king, maybe everyone just thought it was me,” Alec had said after a day in the library.

“I honestly have no idea, Alec. But I know that if anyone can defeat Lilith, it's you.” Alec hadn't looked convinced, but Magnus couldn't blame him. It was kind of ironic, how what was supposed to be a calm day out in the woods just made everything worse for them. 

“So basically you are saying that you do believe it’s me,” Alec said and sighed. 

“Well... yeah” Magnus admitted and shrugged his shoulders. “I do believe that you are the future king and that you are meant to save the shadow world and all its people.” 

“This is a lot of pressure Magnus but I’m glad to have you so... I know I’ll find out what to do” 

“I'll do my best to help you at least.” They were both unsure, but about completely different things. While Alec was unsure about whether or not he was this once and future king, and if he would ever be worthy, Magnus was unsure about how he played a part in this. Ithuriel had said multiple times that he played an important part in helping Alec, and the woman at the clearing had looked at Magnus when she said Alec would need help to be worthy. But how was Magnus a part of this? How could he help Alec? Magnus didn't have any of those answers, and he couldn't find an answer, no matter how much he searched.

“Hey, I know you are kind of avoiding this but… did you start looking for clothes for your wedding?” Alec shook his head.

“No, I don’t want to. And Izzy won’t let me anyway, she’s insisting on keeping me in the dark and buying me something. She’s probably gonna buy something, you know, like Izzy.” Magnus chuckled.

“Yeah, I know. At least that way we know you’ll look good.”

“I just hope she doesn’t make me wear something ridiculous.”

“I’m sure she’ll take your clothing style at least somewhat into account,” Magnus assured him. 

“Yeah, let’s hope so.”

“She will, she’s Izzy and she loves you so much” smiled Magnus and reached for Alec's shoulder. 

“I know…. She means so much to me. I don’t know what I would do without her, Jace and you” 

“I’m sure you could manage just fine without me. There are plenty of people out there just waiting to be close to you. To be your servant.” Alec frowned and stopped to look at Magnus.

“Yeah, I know. But they aren’t you. Magnus, you are so much more than just a servant for me, you… you’re my best friend,” he said, not letting Magnus look away.

“I… I am?”

“Of course, Magnus. I love you.” After a second's hesitation, Alec pulled Magnus into a hug. Magnus realized how much he loved hugging Alec. How much he loved to be safe in his arms. He also realized he’d never hugged Alec before, never had him this close.

“I love you too,” He mumbled into Alec’s shoulder. He wished Alec would get the real meaning behind them, understand that Magnus  _ loved  _ him. But he didn’t. Of course he didn’t. 

They stayed like this for a lot longer than society would deem acceptable but Magnus didn’t care, he liked this so much. 

When they eventually did pull apart they were both longing to just get into the other’s arms again. But they couldn’t, they had work to do. And if someone walked past they might find it weird to see a servant and the prince hugging. Sure, most of the servants knew about Magnus and Alec’s friendship, but not everyone. Robert didn’t know about it at all, and he would probably find it appropriate if he knew. He didn’t know about Isabelle’s friendship with Clary either. Or about Clary and Jace. Come to think of it, it didn’t look like Robert knew much about his children.

Together he and Alec made their way to the field. It was late in the evening, so it was mostly empty. Perfect for archery training.

 

* * *

 

As the weeks passed and the marriage got closer, Magnus and Alec kept struggling to find out more about the soul sword. It was driving them both crazy, and they’d pretty much given up after the third week. They had other things to focus on, like the wedding and Magnus still was working on how to make sure Malcolm could get to his girlfriend in the afterlife, he was pretty close to a cure but he still needed to work on the finer details. He also had to send a few messages to him so Malcolm knew that Magnus was still working on it and how his progress was. Magnus also had to take time to speak to Dot. He couldn't keep using her, the guilt was eating him alive every time he saw her. He had to speak with her as soon as possible.

 

* * *

 

Now, two months after Lydia's first visit, the wedding was just a week away. Lydia would be coming this evening to get accommodated here and to get ready for the wedding. Alec was nervous, like he’d been the first time she was coming. Except he knew that this time she wasn’t leaving. She was coming, and she would stay there. Lydia and Alec, sleeping in the same bed, eating by the same table, doing the same things, going to meetings together. It wouldn’t be Magnus and Alec anymore, or even just Alec. It would be Lydia and Alec, from that day on, and till death separated them. That was the vow they were going to make. That was the vow that was gonna change Alec’s life. Maybe it would be for the benefit of the kingdom, and maybe it would finally make his father proud, but it would completely ruin Alec’s dreams. Dreams he knew would never come true anyway, because his dreams consisted of him and Magnus. Together, doing the kind of stuff that couples do. Which was never gonna happen, which was why Alec needed to stop thinking about it.

It the end, Alec had one big worry, really. One thing that he had no idea what to do about, one thing he couldn’t change. He would need to get Lydia pregnant. He would need to have sex with her, the night of the wedding. He had actually talked about that with her. It had turned out that she wasn’t really into the idea of marrying him but she acted like him, she knew her place and she was willing to sacrifice her own happiness for her kingdom. She also was in love with someone, back in her hometown. He was the son of the baker and therefore out of the question. Alec had offered to let him move into Idris so she should stay in contact with him and have him as her ‘affair’ so at least she would be kind of happy. Maybe they could even get to an agreement, if this guy got Lydia pregnant instead. No one would notice, as long as they told everyone it was Alec’s. 

The only problem was he wasn’t sure he would be willing to come. Lydia had said she would tell him about the offer, but the guy’s father was getting old and very dependent on his son to make income. Lydia didn’t think he would abandon his father, not even for her. And there was nothing Alec could do about that, he could just hope. 

For the time being, he was stuck with Izzy who wanted to check that the clothes she’d gotten fit him. 

“Is it too tight? It looks perfect, but I don’t want you to pass out from lack of air,” Izzy commented.

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you got a shirt too small!” 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. It’s fine, we just have to…” Izzy moved to unbutton the top buttons, but Alec pulled away.

“What are you doing?” He asked. 

“I’m unbuttoning your shirt, what does it look like I’m doing?” 

“Izzy, I can’t go to a wedding with an unbuttoned shirt,” Alec said, pulling her hands away and doing the buttons again. 

“Of course you can, it’ll just make all the girls swoon.”

“I don’t want anyone to swoon! Come on, Izzy. I’m getting married, not going to a tavern.” Izzy sighed. 

“Fine, I’ll get a bigger one later, but unbutton it for now so we can see how it looks with the rest of the outfit,” She said. Alec sighed and agreed.

In the end, the clothes she’d gotten weren’t too awful. White and gold, like the tradition was in Idris. A white shirt and golden jacket, black pants and a black bowtie. Not too bad, except the shirt didn’t fit and the pants were too tight for Alec’s liking. 

“Are they supposed to be so tight?” He asked. “I think they’re too small too.”

“Alec, it’s already hard to find pants for someone as tall as you, and they look good. You can move in them, right?” 

“You’re impossible,” Alec responded instead of answering her actual question. 

“You love me.” 

“Unfortunately.” 

“I love you too, brother,” she smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “And I am heartbroken to know that you are giving up so much by marrying her. I mean I like her but… I know she’s not Magnus and you are falling harder and harder for him. It’s almost painful to see how much you love him,” She said. Like she thought Alec needed to be reminded. It  _ was  _ painful. To have Magnus there all the time, to be so close to him. And to be promised to another, to know he could never have him. Even if by some crazy miracle Magnus actually wanted him, they couldn’t be together anyway. His father had said he could have hundreds of mistresses and no one would care. But one boyfriend and it would be a scandal. 

“Can we please not talk about him?” Alec begged. It was bad enough to be with him, he didn’t want to talk about how much he loved him. Especially not with his sister, he feared he might actually have a breakdown. He couldn’t do that now, he had to be strong. 

“Sure… but the truth will come out one day anyway,” she said and stroked his cheek with his thumb. “Please know how to be ready to face the truth one day”

“I will never be ready for that. If it ever comes out, I’ll probably panic and run away to another kingdom.” It wasn’t a lie. Alec had actually thought about it, what he would do if it got out. If Magnus found out, maybe he could live with it, maybe they could keep going. But if his father found out then everyone would know, the entire kingdom. Alec couldn’t do that, couldn’t live with that. If that happened, he would disappear. 

“You won’t. Alec, I know you. You love us too much to leave us. You’ll stay and find a way to deal with it, maybe he can help you? I mean he knows how you feel. You told me he opened up to you so… talk to him” 

“Are you saying I should tell him I love him? What’s the point, Izzy? He’s in love with someone else and he even broke up with Dot, because his feelings for this man are so strong.”

“Urgh, no. But that you have feelings for a man as well. Just talk about that.”

“But it wouldn’t change anything. I would still need to marry Lydia. He’d been trying to stop this wedding from the beginning, if I tell him he’ll just be even more motivated to stop it. Maybe, maybe I’ll tell him. After the wedding.” Izzy sighed.

“Fine. It’s your choice, Alec. I just think you should talk to him, talk to  _ someone.” _

“I can talk to you, can’t I? I think that’s enough.” 

“You can always talk to me,” Izzy assured him, pulling him into a hug.

 

* * *

 

_ Dear Malcolm. I have found everything you need to finish the spell. I will make a list of the ingredients you need as well as an extract from the book I found it in. I hope we are even now. Thank you for telling me about Alec. You can be with your girlfriend now. From Magnus.  _

Magnus read through the letter he’d written one more time before setting it on fire, watching it burn away to Malcolm. It had taken him a while, but despite everything else going on he’d managed to take time to look at Malcolm’s problem. It was a complicated process that required lot’s of rare ingredients, it would take Malcolm a while to do it. But at least now he knew what he needed to do. At least now he knew there was hope. Magnus would do anything to know that about his own problem. All of his problems, actually. 

He went to place the book he’d been reading back in the shelf. It was one of the ones on the top, he had to use a ladder to reach it. Luckily Luke had a ladder around for that. He climbed to the top and put the book back into place. On his way down his sleeve got caught up in the ladder, and Magnus gripped at the shelf to not fall. A book fell out of it, landing on the ground. Magnus sighed and climbed down the rest of the ladder to pick it up. The book had opened on a random page, Magnus was about to close it when something caught his eye. A drawing. Of a stone. With a sword sticking out of it. 

It was the same stone, the same sword, no doubt. Magnus looked at the text around it, wondering why he hadn’t found this book before. He realized quickly when he saw it wasn’t in any language he knew. It was in Latin. Of course! The real information would be in the old books, the ones Magnus couldn’t read. 

“Luke! Luke?” Magnus called for him. He brought the book with him to the pharmacy, Luke was stitching up a knight. Magnus didn’t exactly know what had happened, but he had a big wound on his forehead. Probably fell off a horse or something, it didn’t matter. “Luke, can I talk to you?” 

“Magnus, I’m busy,” Luke said, not taking his eyes away from what he was doing.

“Yeah, yeah, I can see that. But this is very important.”

“Unless someone’s dying, it can wait five minutes.” Magnus sighed. Of course Luke couldn’t stop in the middle of what he was doing. And this could wait five minutes, that wouldn’t make a big difference. Magnus stared at the words in the book like he could understand them if he looked at them long enough. It only frustrated him more. He started pacing around the room, trying to make sense of the words, trying to gather information from the drawings.

“Magnus, your pacing is very distracting.”

“Sorry, I’m stressed.”

“Go be stressed in the living room, please. I’ll join you as soon as I finish here.” Magnus sighed again but did as Luke said and moved to the living room. He’d barely gotten out of the room when he felt an incoming firemessage. He looked around himself to check that he was alone before unglamouring it and snapping it out of the air. 

_ Dear Magnus. Thank you very much. This will take a while, but I’ll get it done. We are even now, and I’ll be more than happy to do more business with you in the future if you ever need my assistance. Thank you very much for your help. From Malcolm. _

Magnus smiled at the letter before saying a spell to set it on fire. He couldn’t risk anyone finding it and realize he’d been working with Malcolm all along. Alec and Luke knew, but no one else. And Alec didn’t know he’d kept contact with Malcolm, and Magnus would prefer if it stayed that way. 

“Now, what is the problem Magnus?” asked Luke as he entered the living room.

“Luke.” Magnus turned around to look at him. “You know all those languages, right?” Luke nodded. “I need you to translate this for me.” Magnus showed him the page he needed. “Especially if you see something about how to be worthy.” Magnus handed Luke the book. Luke picked the book out of Magnus's hands and studied the pages carefully. He was silent for a few minutes before looking up at Magnus again.

“It says here only the king can get the sword out of the stone, I'm assuming they mean the once and future king.”

“But Alec already tried, it didn't work!”

“Let me finish, Magnus. It says that to be worthy the king has to bare his soul and tell his biggest secret.”

“What?”

“It's the sword of truth, Magnus. It makes sense that to wield it you have to let the truth out.”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Magnus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I have to tell Alec,” he said. “Thank you, Luke. I'm gonna go find Alec.” With that he bolted out of the house, not even saying goodbye. He didn't know where Alec was, he'd left him with Isabelle hours ago, but surely they were finished. 

Magnus didn't have to search for very long, Alec was on the steps to the castle. With Lydia. Magnus had missed her arrival! How could he have lost track of time like that? He'd promised Alec he'd be by his side, and he hadn't been.

“Magnus!” Alec looked up startled when he saw him. “Where were you?” He asked. Magnus shot a careful look at Lydia before deciding he could trust her.

“I found out how to get the sword,” he said. Lydia looked confused at him, but Alec understood what he meant immediately.

“Really? How?” 

“It's the sword of truth, so to be worthy of wielding it you must reveal your deepest secret,” Magnus explained. Alec blanched.

“What?” He asked weakly. 

“What's going on? What are you talking about?” Lydia asked before Magnus could speak. Magnus looked carefully at her. 

“Have you ever heard about Lilith? The queen of hell?” He asked. Lydia nodded, confused. “Well, she's real, and she's gonna do something bad. There's a prophecy, that a once and future king would be born in times of need to kill the queen. Alec is that king, and he needs to pull a sword out of a stone to be able to kill her.” Lydia's frown deepened, and Magnus couldn't blame her. It sounded ridiculous to his own ears. “Listen, it doesn't matter. We have to pull out that sword as quick as possible.” 

“Yeah, totally” Alec agreed and nodded. “But I can’t go just now. I mean Lydia just arrived, what will people think if I ran away with now into the forest”

“I'll come with you,” Lydia said immediately. She earned herself two confused looks and two very loud “No!”

“Come on, this is clearly important, and if I go with you it'll look like a romantic walk or ride or whatever. And then as soon as we're out of sight we'll stop acting and get that sword.” Magnus looked at Alec. 

“That would work,” he said hesitantly. Alec sighed.

“Yeah, it would.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Let's go then,” he said. They followed Alec to the stables, where he prepared Shadowhunter while Lydia looked around in the stables to choose a horse for her. Magnus prepared Jem, and he was pretty much done when Alec came to check how he was doing.

“You’re getting good at this,” he smiled. Magnus smiled back and nodded before going back to fastening the saddle. He heard Alec and Lydia talk behind him, probably deciding which horse would be best for her. 

A little while later they were all sat on their horses. Lydia had gone with a black, white, and gray horse called Moonshadow. She was a beautiful, tall mare, perfect for a future queen. They set out on their way, Magnus behind Alec and Lydia as to not raise suspicion. It couldn't be a ride between two lovers if they weren't by each other's side. This way it would look like Magnus was just there so they were not alone, kind of like a chaperon.

They rode into the woods, following the main path for a while, just like Magnus and Alec had done the first time they found the clearing. After a while, as soon as they were far enough away from the city, Magnus sped up a little to catch up with the other two. Alec looked nervous and uneasy, and Lydia was riding silently beside him.

“Would any of you mind telling me what’s going on?” She asked when Magnus broke into a fast canter beside them. 

“It's kind of a long and complicated story…” Magnus started.

“I'm not going anywhere.” Magnus nodded and started to tell her, leaving out a few unnecessary details.

“Well, I became Alec’s servant by saving his life. Just a little while later someone tried to kill him  _ again.  _ So I started to wonder if there was any connection between the two attempted murders and I managed to get answers out of one of them. He told me Lilith, queen of hell Lilith, had sent him to kill Alec because Alec is the once and future king, destined to kill the queen. Anyway, we were riding through the woods one day when we found a clearing and decided to rest there. When we tried to leave a spirit appeared and told us Alec had to remove the sword out of the stone because the sword was necessary to kill the queen, but when he tried he wasn't worthy. And now we've spent almost two months trying to figure out how to make him worthy, and I found it by accident today in one of Luke's Latin books,” he told her.

“That sounds… very fake. But I guess I'll believe you when I see the sword.” Magnus looked at Alec, he looked unnaturally pale.

“Alexander, are you okay?” He asked. Alec shook his head quickly and looked at Magnus.

“Hmm, me? Yeah, I'm fine.”

“Are you sure? You look sick,” Magnus said.

“Magnus, I'm fine. Come on, it's in here,” Alec said and took a sudden left turn into a smaller path. It was a good thing Alec was paying attention to the road, cause Magnus certainly wasn't and Lydia didn't know the way.

They rode the rest of the way in silence until they _ finally _ arrived at the clearing again, the stone still there and the sword still buried deep in it.

“Oh wow, this really exists” huffed Lydia. 

“We told you. So... Alec, who do you want to talk to? About your biggest secret?” Alec ignored his question and hopped off the horse. He went to the stone, stared at the sword and ran his fingers over the handle. He turned back to them.

“You can both stay. You… you deserve to know, both of you.” Alec took a deep breath. He closed his hand around the hilt. “I… I'm in love,” he whispered, it was rather difficult for Magnus to understand him, since Alec was a few feet away and was talking very quietly.  _ He is in love? With who? And why did Alec never mention it before?  _ Magnus was surprised and very curious. 

“I- I don't think that's enough, Alexander. But you can try the sword,” he said. He almost wanted for it to not be enough. Wanted to know who had caught Alec's heart. Alec tried to pull the sword, it didn't move. Alec looked and Magnus again and then closed his eyes. 

“I love you,” he said.

“I know, Alec. So you can tell me anything.”

“No, Magnus. I  _ love  _ you. I'm in love with you.” Magnus was sure he must have heard wrong. Had Alec just said that? No, he couldn't. He'd heard wrong.

“You… what?”

“I love you, Magnus. I love you so fucking much, it's ridiculous. It hurts and I'm sorry, I know you are in love with someone else and that it will never work with us for so many reasons but I can’t help it. I fell for you the moment I saw you and it only grew stronger and I… I just love you”

“Alec, Alec look!” Lydia said, filling what would have been an awkward silence as Magnus took in the words. She pointed at the stone, the part where the stone and the sword connected was glowing. Alec pulled lightly at the sword, and it came out without any fight, the blade glowing. But only Lydia was actually paying attention. Alec was looking at the ground and Magnus was staring at him.

“Erm… boys I think I’ll… well, I’ll leave you two alone for a moment,” she mumbled and turned around to move away from them.

“Alec?” Magnus asked quietly after just looking at him for a long time. Alec just turned around, not looking at him.

“I'm sorry, Magnus. I- I didn't want you to know,” he said. Magnus got of off Jem as fast as he could and then went up to Alec. 

“Alexander…” Magnus reached up to touch Alec's shoulder, turning him around. “Alexander.” Magnus tried to catch his eyes, but Alec seemed to be avoiding them at all costs. “Alexander, look at me,” Magnus insisted. He moved his hand from Alec's shoulder up to his neck, turning Alec's head. When he caught Alec's eyes, he didn't let him look away as he said, “I love you too.” Alec looked away from him again.

“Don't lie, Magnus. I know you're just saying that to make me feel better or something, it's not worth it.” 

“Alexander, I'm not lying. The sword reveals the truth, right?” Magnus closed his hand over Alec's, still holding the sword. “I love you, Alexander Lightwood. I love you and I’m going to do something now that I’ve wanted to do for so long.” And with that, he leaned up and kissed Alec. 

Alec made a small noise of surprise in the back of his throat before melting into the kiss. Magnus had done this a few times before, with Dot. But that was nothing compared to now, to Alec's mouth on his. The kiss was slow, gentle. Just lips on lips. No tongue, no teeth, just a careful kiss. “I love you,” Magnus whispered against Alec's lips when he pulled back.

“I love you too,” 

After that, Alec dropped the sword and hugged Magnus and the two of them just stood there hugging for a while until they heard a small voice. 

“Thank you, future king. Now go fulfill the damn prophecy,” the woman's voice said.


	11. The wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I just want to say right away that the chapters will be shorter the next few weeks since I'm going to visit my family and won't have as much time to write. I'll still post every Sunday and keep the chapter at 6-7k words, just don't expect anything super long like the last ones have been.

“Oh wow. I think you just let that spirit into the… veil? That was what she called it, right?” Magnus asked and moved a millimeter away from Alec so he could look at his face.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess I did,” Alec mumbled.

“Alexander, are you okay?” Magnus asked. Alec shook his head.

“This won't work, Magnus. It's impossible, it can't work.”

“What are you talking about?” Magnus asked.

“Us, Magnus's. It's not possible.” Alec pulled completely away from him. “I wish it was, I really do. But it's not, it's not possible. I'm sorry,” Alec said, shaking his head.

“I… I understand,” Magnus whispered, his voice breaking. It wasn't fair! Alec shouldn't have to marry Lydia. “So… what do you want to do? What do you want me to do? Now that I know.”

“Nothing. I don't want anything to change, Magnus. I still want us to be us. Let's just… keep pretending.”

“I don't think I can pretend much longer,” Magnus said, looking at Alec. “It was hard enough when I thought you weren't interested, but now…”

“Magnus, we have to. I'm gonna marry Lydia and there's nothing any of us can do about that. So please, don't make it harder. Let's just forget this ever happened, please,” Alec begged.

“I can’t. I’m sorry Alec but I can’t pretend this never happened, I love you and I know you love me, too. I can’t pretend that we are just friends and I… I know I said I will always help you and… damn, I still will, but I need to stop being your servant. I can’t be around you and her, not when I know you'll never love her. Not when I know that you love me.”

“No, Magnus. You- you can't leave me, please. I need you, now more than ever. I'm sorry, I never wanted to tell you, I was fine being your friend, that was enough for me. I need you, Magnus. You're the one who keeps me going.” Alec was blinking away tears, and Magnus felt his own eyes getting wet.

“You are so strong, Alexander. You don't need me to go on, you can do that just fine on your own. If you want to marry Lydia, marry her. I won't stop you. But I won't be around to watch it. I'm sorry.” Magnus turned around and climbed up on Jem. He rode away as fast as he dared, drying away tears he couldn't hold back as he blindly rode through the forest, hoping Jem knew somewhat what way they were going.

 

* * *

 

Alec watched Magnus disappear into the forest until Jem’s silver fur was long out of sight and be was simply staring in the direction he'd gone in. _What have I done?_ “What have I done?” He mumbled to himself. He'd just ruined what he cherished the most, his relationship with Magnus was… gone. Broken.

Alec sucked in a quick breath as he tried to fight away tears. There was no point. He crumbled together, back against the stone and face in his hands as he sobbed his feelings out. All of this for a stupid sword! He hadn't asked for this. For this responsibility, these expectations. The damn prophecy! Alec just wanted a normal fucking life. Was that too much to ask for?

Alec felt a tuft of air hit his hair and a soft muzzle pushing lightly at his head. He looked up with teary eyes. “Hi, Shadowhunter,” he whispered, hating how broken his voice sounded. He pulled Shadowhunter closer to him, leaning his cheek into his muzzle and running a hand through his mane to calm himself. That was how Lydia found him when she came back five minutes later.

“Alec? Are you okay? Where's Magnus?” She asked.

“He left,” Alec said, his voice only slightly wavering.

“Oh,” Lydia said as she realized. “It didn't go well?” Alec shook his head, blinking away more tears.

“It was my fault. I told him we couldn't be together. I told him to forget it.”

“Wait, so he loved you too?” Alec had to bite his tongue to hold back a sob. He nodded instead.

“Why did you tell him no then?”

“Because I have to marry you! It's just like you and your boyfriend. It's not possible.” Alec was glad when Lydia didn't argue further. She knew what it was like, _she_ understood. Not Jace, not Izzy, not Magnus. Lydia could understand what it was like, she was in the same situation.

“I'm sorry,” was all she said. She understood.

“Me too.”

 

* * *

 

Alec was thrashing around in his bed. He'd been trying to sleep for hours, but he couldn't. Magnus wasn't there, Magnus wasn't there at all. He would never be there. He was gone. _Gone._ Probably hated him. Alec turned around again, pressed his face into the pillow and sobbed into it.

 

* * *

 

Magnus was reading a book. Well, correction, Magnus was _trying_ to read a book. He'd been on the same page for almost an hour. It was far past midnight, but he couldn't go to sleep. He knew that if he did, if he fell asleep, there would only be nightmares. About Alec. About losing him, about him marrying Lydia, it didn't matter. They would be painful. It was better to not fall asleep, better to just keep reading, even if he had to read the same word fifty times to understand it.

 

* * *

 

It shouldn't hurt this much. _I've barely known him for three months!_ His father had told him that emotions cloud judgment, he was right. They did, and right now they were clouding Alec's. That's why he wanted to go to Magnus, cry and beg for forgiveness, beg for Magnus to come back to him. But he didn't, that was just his emotions talking. _Emotions cloud judgment._

Alec got out of the bed. He knew what he needed, he needed pain. Physical pain always worked. _Please tell me you aren’t hurting yourself on purpose,_ Magnus’s voice echoed in his mind, the memory of that day playing before his eyes. Alec closed his eyes and fisted his hands hard, tried to make the memory go away. It didn't work.

He paced around the room, tried to get his mind away from Magnus. The bells rang out twice, telling Alec it was two o'clock. Alec wondered what Magnus was doing. He was probably sleeping, Magnus wasn’t one to lose sleep over much.

“Fuck,” Alec sobbed as he fell into bed again. His pillow was still humid when he started soaking it for the nth time that night.

 

* * *

 

Magnus was staring at the ceiling, book long since discarded as his mind only filled with thoughts of Alec. He heard the two o'clock bells ring and sighed. He wished he could sleep, he didn't even care about the nightmares anymore, he just wanted sleep to take him.

He wasn't crying. Not anymore. It made sense, what Alec said. He had to marry Lydia, none of them could change that. It wouldn't be right for a prince to have a boyfriend. It made sense, it was fine. Magnus understood. He wished it was different, but he understood.

He wondered what Alec was doing. Knowing him he was probably awake, maybe punching a bag, maybe out in the woods, alone. Maybe just thrashing around in bed and trying to sleep. But it didn't matter. It had been his choice, he would have to live with it. _No, we both have to live with it._ Magnus hated it, he was hurting, so much. For two minutes he had had everything he wanted, he had kissed Alec and heard that he loved him. And in the next moment, it was all gone. Alec didn’t want to, or couldn’t, and Magnus couldn’t keep pretending to be someone else, couldn’t keep being just Alec’s friend. He’d doubted for a moment if he’d made the right choice, if distancing himself from Alec completely was right. He could just keep being his friend. Alec had begged him to not leave, _begged._ And Magnus had left. But it was best for both of them, right? None of them would have to pretend anymore, Alec wouldn’t have to look at him every day. Magnus didn’t think he could keep looking at Alec without remembering the kiss, the words. _I love you._

 

* * *

 

Alec had had lots of sleepless nights, but none like this, none this horrible. It was the night before the wedding and he was scared, terrified. He wanted, _needed,_ to talk to someone. Needed someone to give him strength, courage. He was scared he might run away if not.

But he couldn’t talk to anyone. He hadn’t seen Magnus since the day in the clearing, Izzy refused to talk to him after he’d told her about what happened, Jace… well, he was Jace. And Alec didn’t have anyone else. He was alone, just him and his tears and fear. Alec was actually thinking about going to Magnus, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Maybe he should talk to Lydia?

Lydia had been very understanding. She wouldn’t mind talking to Alec about it, she’d told him that herself. Alec really needed to get it out, he was completely out of tears, he couldn’t hit anything without being reminded of Magnus asking him to never intentionally hurt himself again, and he had to hold back the urges of just screaming.

Alec didn’t know what time it was, and he didn’t care. It was late, the halls were empty and dark. Lydia’s chambers weren’t far away, Alec was there before he could think it through and turn back. He hesitated at the door. What if she was asleep? It was a big day for them both tomorrow, it was bad enough that he was still awake. If he was going to wake up Lydia too… Alec turned around, planning to leave. He didn’t need to make everyone suffer from his problems, he could keep them to himself, suffer alone.

He was walking away when he heard his name. “Alec?” It was Lydia, Alec turned around to see her head poking out of the door. “What are you doing here?” She asked. Alec shook his head.

“Nothing, go to sleep,” Alec said.

“Alec, come in,” Lydia commanded, ignoring him. When Lydia wanted something, she got it, so there was no point in fighting. Alec walked into her room slowly, noticing she only had a thin sleeping gown on. _Why can’t I be straight?_ He questioned the universe. Any other man would probably go crazy by looking at her, why not him? Why did he have to be like that?

Lydia saw him looking and probably realized what he was thinking. She was good at that, at figuring people out. “It’s not your fault, Alec. It’s not your choice. You were born that way, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” She said. Alec sighed.

“I… I know there’s nothing _wrong._ And it wouldn’t be a problem if only I knew everyone was like you, you know?” He said. “I know it’s not wrong, but I know people think it is, that’s what scares me.” Lydia guided Alec to sit down on her bed.

“We don’t have to go through with this. We can cancel the wedding, if I tell my father I changed my mind he would cancel it right away.” Alec sighed.

“There’s no point. Dad will find me another wife, and it would be the same. Maybe even worse, cause I like you, and I might not like the next woman he chooses.”

“That sounds a bit like a compliment so… thank you, Alec. I like you, too. And I wish I could do anything to help you.”

“Can I stay here tonight?” Alec asked. “Not- not on the bed. Not like that, just… I can sleep on the floor or something. I can’t be alone, it’s driving me crazy. And I have no one else to go to, or I wouldn’t have disturbed you, I’m just- sorry. I’m a mess.” Lydia sat down beside him and put a hand on his arm to shut him up.

“You can stay here,” she said. “And it’s okay to be a mess, don’t apologize. After what happened, I would be surprised if you _weren’t_ a mess.”

“Thank- Thank you” he whispered and sniffled a bit. “Thank you for… letting me stay, and for doing all of this.”

“Of course. It’s the least I owe you. I wish you didn’t have to marry me, I wish it could be Magnus. But neither of us can do anything about this, so the least I can do is try to make this easier for you. Now lay down in bed. We will be sharing one from tomorrow on anyways so it doesn't matter if we do it one day earlier.”

“Yeah, right… But sometime after tomorrow I’d actually have to get you pregnant. But thank you,” he mumbled and laid down on the bed.

Lydia laid down next to him and took his hand. “We will manage it, somehow. I mean maybe- maybe once his father died John will actually move here and then he could... like we thought he might.”

“Mhm… I don’t know how to thank you for this, for trying to help me and making it easier.”

“Of course. I mean I should get married as well and… I actually think this is the best solution. I mean you understand me and we both want to be with the one we love so we are a match, Alec. Getting married when we both want to be with someone else.”

“Yeah, I guess we are. Thank you, Lydia,” Alec said, shuffling a bit on the bed. He didn't want to be too close to Lydia, it felt wrong. But he didn't want to seem rude by sleeping too far away.

“Hey, Alec,” Lydia called for his attention. “Don't worry, just make yourself comfortable,” she said.

“I... I'm trying to” he mumbled.

“I'm your friend, Alec. You can trust me and be relaxed around me”

“Yes, I know. It's not you, Lydia. I'm not worried that you will… do anything. I'm just… used to sleeping alone, I guess.”

“Yeah… I’m sure we can get an extra bed in our bedroom if you won’t get comfortable sleeping next to me”

“No, that would just make people suspicious. I'll get used to it,” Alec assured her.

“Okay… now try to sleep, Alec. You need it.”

“Yeah, I'll try.” Alec closed his eyes and tried to settle down. After a little while, he could hear Lydia's breath slowing down, she was asleep. Alec stared up at the ceiling. He'd hoped pure exhaustion would take him now, it had been almost a week and he'd had maybe a few hours of sleep. But no, he didn't pass out from exhaustion, instead, he just felt like shit, tired and hurting and _sad._

 

* * *

 

Alec was standing in front of a huge mirror, he was dressed already and prepared for his wedding. Well, not really prepared. He was presentable, but he would never be ready. Would anyone be? He knew it was the right thing to do, but that didn't mean it was easy.

When he first found out about the wedding he was mad, but he knew he had to do it. He'd imagined Magnus and Izzy and Jace by his side, now he would only have Jace. Izzy would be there, but she hadn't even talked to him, she would not offer supportive smiles like he needed her to do. And Magnus wouldn't be there at all, maybe that was for the best though. If Magnus had been there Alec might have made out with him instead of Lydia. He had to try to avoid that.

He was in this alone. He had Jace, who still supported him, unknowing of everything that had happened with Magnus. He didn't even know Alec had feelings for Magnus. Jace knew there had been some kind of argument, but he hadn't asked about it.

Alec sat down in a chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd had a constant headache ever since he’d woken up. At some point during the night he'd fallen asleep. He hadn't slept for long though, he'd fallen asleep after the four o'clock bells, and Lydia had woken him up a little past seven. He'd slept through the bells and Lydia had decided to let him sleep for a bit more. Now Alec was left with a throbbing headache. That's what he got for not sleeping an entire week. That's what he got for breaking his own heart. That's what he got for always putting the kingdom first.

There was a light knock at the door, pulling Alec out of his thoughts. “Hey, Alec. Are you in there?” Jace called from the other side.

“Yeah, come in,” Alec said, standing up.

“Hey man, how're you doing?” Jace asked, looking Alec up and down.

“I'm fine, Jace. Just a little nervous.”

“Yeah, I bet that’s normal,” Jace chuckled. “I mean you are getting married, Alec. That’s a big thing.”

“Yeah, I know. I'm glad it's Lydia, I could have landed someone much worse.” Alec would, of course, prefer if it was Magnus. But if he had to marry a girl, Lydia was the one he wanted to marry.

“You're right. She's hot, isn't she? I bet you're gonna have fun tonight.” _If by having fun you mean awkwardly sleeping in the same bed and thinking about who we would much rather be with… sure._

“Yeah, I can't wait till tonight,” Alec lied. He couldn't explain that to Jace. He would tell him one day, probably. But not now, right now he didn't even want to think about it. Magnus, Lydia, the wedding, he didn't want it in his head. He wanted to turn off and go on autopilot all day. And as soon as the wedding was over he would sneak away with Shadowhunter for a while to clear his head before coming back to be with Lydia.

They had agreed they wouldn't sleep together, at least not right away. The would pretend. Maybe, if Lydia didn't go to her boyfriend in the first few weeks, they would at least try. Lydia needed to get pregnant or people would start suspecting something was wrong. Alec still wasn't sure if he would be capable, but he would have to at least try.

“Now… are you ready? We should get you to the chapel,” Jace said.

“Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be,” Alec sighed. Jace patted his shoulder before turning around, Alec following in his heels as they walked through the castle to where the wedding would take place.

The room was fully packed, the whole court was there, plus a few knights. Alec saw Luke in one of the front rows and looked around nervously to check if Magnus was there. He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed when he saw that he wasn't.

 _Relieved,_ he decided. He didn't think he could go through with this if Magnus had been there. Emotions cloud judgment, damn right they do. And Alec's weren't just clouding his judgment, they were _drowning_ it. So yeah, it was better that Magnus wasn't there. For everyone.

Alec took his position in front of the priest and turned around to wait for Lydia come in. Jace was standing by his side and Izzy sat in the first row, next to their father. She looked so angry that Alec couldn’t look at her for very long. She didn't even pretend to make him feel better, she was staring at him with what he could almost call hate. Not hate, not really. But so much anger Alec almost regretted telling her.

He stood uncomfortably on the little podium, wishing Lydia would hurry up and people would stop looking at him. After a few, long minutes the violins started playing and Lydia appeared at the end of the room. Alec could hear multiple gasps from the crowd as everyone looked at her. This was the first time many people saw her up close, and she was dressed to impress with a beautiful white and gold dress, diamonds glinting on her dress and from her hair, which was in a beautiful braid. If Alec was straight he would be so happy to marry Lydia, but he wasn't. He wasn't straight and he wasn't happy to marry Lydia.

He was _glad_ he was marrying Lydia and not some other woman. But he really wasn't happy, and probably never would be. He'd already come to terms with that _years_ ago. Why were all these feelings coming back again? He knew why, but he still tried to ignore them, and what was causing them.

When Lydia stood in front of him, he took her by the hand and helped her up onto the podium. He smiled at her and then turned to look at the priest, still holding her hand.

Alec wasn't really paying much attention, he knew what was gonna happen anyway. He heard the priest talking, but he didn't hear what he was saying. He hoped Lydia was paying attention, so at least one of them would know when to react.

 

* * *

 

Magnus had barely been outside the whole week. Luke had been worried ever since the day he came home sobbing and locked himself in his room, but Magnus refused to tell him what had happened. When Luke had tried to come to talk to him later that day he'd set up a spell to keep the door locked. He'd read something about wards once, but he didn't want to go look for that spell. He hadn't done anything for hours, just cried and cried. His life has been perfect for a second, taking it away from him just as quick was just cruel.

He'd gotten something to eat hours later, after he was sure Luke was asleep. The days had continued like that, Magnus refused to leave his room, no matter how hard Luke tried to make him. And today was the day Alec got married. Magnus heard Luke leave the flat, this time without even trying to talk to him. _He probably understood that this is about Alec_ , Magnus thought. Luke wasn’t an idiot and he knew that Magnus had been out with Alec and Lydia the day he came home crying.

Now he was sitting there, on his bed and stared at the wall. A part of him wanted to see Alec. If he got in some nice clothes he could blend right in in the background. But that was a stupid thought. What good would it do? It would only hurt him further to watch Alec marry Lydia. He could crash the wedding, or completely stop it. With just a word a curtain could accidentally catch on fire, and then everyone would have to evacuate the room… But why? That would only slow it down, they would set a new date and that would be it. All that could do was damage the castle, hurt people, and cost money. And Alec would still marry Lydia, so it wasn’t worth it.

He knew Luke was out so he decided to spend some time in the living room. He opened the door and looked around before he stepped out and moved over to the small couch. “What the…” he mumbled when he saw an envelope on the table next to the sofa. It had his name on it. And it had the royal seal. Magnus sat down on the couch and grabbed it, tearing it open. If this was some kind of apology letter from Alec or something he could forget it. He was marrying Lydia, he'd made that decision. He'd have to live with the consequences.

Magnus unfolded the letter and looked at the familiar handwriting for a moment. He hadn't spent much time with Alec's siblings, but Isabelle had written him a list of things she wanted from Luke once. It was the same handwriting. What could Isabelle possibly want from him?

_Magnus._

_I'm writing this to you because someone has to and none of you have balls enough to do it. Alec told me about what happened at the clearing, and I'm taking your side in this, Alec was an idiot. But, he is my brother, and even when he's acting like an idiot, it's still my job to take care of him. We both know Alec will never be happy with Lydia. Alec is stubborn, but he loves you. I think, if you show up, it might make the difference he needs. There's another piece of paper in this envelope, it's an invitation to the wedding. Show it to the guards at the door and they'll let you in. You don't have to come, of course, but I hope you do. For Alec._

_Sincerely, Isabelle._

_P.S. He loves you, please don’t let him make this huge mistake._

Magnus read the letter twice, just to be sure he'd read it right. Isabelle really was something different. She deeply cared about Alec. _He loves you._ “I love him too,” Magnus said to himself. _I can’t let him do this,_ he thought as he grabbed the invitation. He didn’t think about it at all but stormed out of the flat and towards the castle. He realized, about halfway there, that he hadn't changed clothes in almost a week. And he was on his way to a royal wedding.

Magnus hid in a small alley and tried to recall a cleaning spell. He cast one and immediately felt fresher. He looked down at himself and took in his clothes. He could not go to a wedding like that. He ran a dozen spells through his head, thinking of which one would be best to use. He settled on one that would turn his clothes into whatever clothes he was imagining in his head. He imagined a tight suit, all black. And while he was at it he imagined the tips of his hair dyed pink. Another one of Luke's things, hair dye.

After he made sure he finally looked presentable Magnus left the alley and continued his way towards the castle. There were two guards at the door, but they let Magnus in. The ones outside the chapel were a little bit harder though.

“You can't come in here,” one of the guards said. “The ceremony has already begun.”

“I have an invitation signed by the princess herself, I think that should give me some privileges.” The guards looked at each other before looking back at Magnus.

“If you really have one signed by the princess we can let you slip inside.” Magnus reached inside his pocket and pulled out the invitation, relieved it hadn't disappeared when he had changed his clothes. He showed it to the guards, the stamped invitation and Isabelle's signature under it. The guards looked at each other again before one of them hesitantly opened the door, just enough for Magnus to squeeze inside.

All eyes were on the front of the room where Alec and Lydia were standing together, facing each other as the priest talked. No one had noticed Magnus walking in. Yet. Magnus walked down where he guessed Lydia had walked earlier. He'd just taken a few steps when people started noticing him. The priest looked up and his eyes landed on Magnus as he stopped talking.

As expected, Magnus was immediately approached by a guard. Everyone was looking now, everyone had seen him. Magnus couldn't see Isabelle or Luke, but he hoped they could see him. Magnus looked up at Alec, found him already staring down at him. It had been so long… it was just a week, but it felt like years since he'd seen Alec. He'd missed him so much.

“Excuse me, you have to leave this wedd-” Magnus cut the guard off.

“This is between me and Alexander,” he said. “I'll leave if he asks me to.” The guard was as surprised by that as Magnus was. He hadn't expected himself to say that, or to sound so confident while saying it. The guard looked up at Alec, unsure of what to do. Magnus looked up at him too, silently begging Alec to not make him come here for nothing. If Alec flipped him off, ordered for him to be taken away… Magnus didn't know what he would do.

 

* * *

 

“Alexander Lightwood, do you take Lydia Branwell to-” the priest's voice stopped suddenly and Alec heard whispers in the crowd. What was going on? Had he done something wrong? Alec looked up to see what had caught everyone's attention and saw… _Magnus._

Alec blinked fast, not believing what he was seeing. He was imagining things. He missed Magnus so much he was imagining him.

Alec looked at Lydia and saw her staring too. He looked down at the crowd and saw Izzy smirking as she held back their father. _Magnus is here!_ His brain reminded him. His eyes were pulled back to him. “This is between me and Alexander. I'll leave if he asks me to.”  He was really there.

Alec had told himself earlier that he might make out with Magnus if he saw him. He had not been serious. He was not gonna make out with Mangus, he was gonna tell the guard to throw him out. That was the right thing to do.

_Emotions cloud judgment._

_I love you, Alexander Lightwood. I love you and I’m going to do something now that I’ve wanted to do for so long._ The memory replayed in Alec’s head. Magnus’s lips on his, Magnus’s confession. The best two minutes of his life. For two minutes he’d been happy.

 _Emotions cloud judgment._ If emotions cloud it, love completely shreds it apart.

 _I have to marry Lydia,_ Alec thought, even as he stepped down from the podium. He was aware of everyone’s eyes on him. Wondering what the hell he was going to do. He vaguely heard Jace asking if he was okay. He ignored it all. Just… stared. Stared at Magnus.

 _I have to marry Lydia,_ he thought as he took a step closer. Magnus looked excellent in the suit he was wearing, it must be new, Alec hadn’t seen it before.

 _I have to marry Lydia,_ the words were like a mantra in his head as he walked closer and closer. The whole room was holding its breath.

 _I don’t want to marry Lydia,_ Alec thought as he pulled Magnus in by the lapels, connecting their lips like they had been a week ago. Ignoring the gasps around him, ignoring what he was sure was his father’s voice, ignoring everything that wasn’t Magnus. Magnus’s lips on his, Magnus’s hands on his waist, Magnus’s nose bumping with his as Alec kissed him with no experience.

 

* * *

 

Magnus wasn’t sure exactly what he was expecting Alec to do. Call off the wedding, maybe. Or throw him out and finish the ceremony. Maybe just flee the room and run away from the kingdom. He had not expected this.

He could see the conflict on Alec’s face, could see him debating on what to do. He hadn’t expected Alec to step down from the podium, to come closer and closer. He really wasn’t expecting it when Alec reached out for him, and for a moment he thought Alec was gonna throw him out himself. But then there had been lips on his, and Alec’s mouth had muffled Magnus’s surprised gasp.

Magnus’s hands had gone to Alec’s waist, pulling him closer, closer. It would never be close enough. When Alec pulled back for air, Magnus chased his mouth, never wanting it to stop.

Magnus didn’t know how much time had passed, only that the need for air was growing. When they eventually pulled back the room was completely silent. Magnus pulled back so he could look at Alec's face.

“You never cease to amaze me, Alec,” Magnus said, smiling brightly up at Alec.

“Yeah... What did I just do?” Alec asked. Magnus was wondering the same thing.

They got about two seconds of silence before the room broke into the noise of people talking. Loudly.

“Alec, I am _so_ proud of you.” Magnus heard. Alec turned his face away from Magnus to look at his approaching sister.

 

* * *

 

“Alec, I am _so_ proud of you,” Alec turned his head to look at Izzy, smiling as she embraced him in a tight hug for a second before pulling away, looking at Magnus. “Magnus, thank you. I knew you would make the right decision.”

“I had to. I... I love him and I couldn't let him make this huge mistake.”

“Hm? Did you two... Did you plan this, Izzy?” Izzy faked her most innocent look.

“Plan this? Why would we do that?” Then, more seriously, she added, “I had hoped for this. Or at least I planned something and hoped this would be the outcome. I gave Magnus the invitation.”

“How could you do that without telling me?”

“Hey, I don't think you're in the right position to complain. I just saved you from an unhappy life.” Alec's face softened.

“You're right. Thank you, Izzy.”

“ALEXANDER GIDEON LIGHTWOOD!”

“Oh no… Father,” Alec cringed and was instantly reminded of the scene around them.

“Sorry,” Izzy said. “I tried to hold him off.” Robert approached them, and he was _angry._ He was fuming, his face red and hands fisted. Alec was scared for a second, but then Izzy stepped in front of him and shielded him from his father.

“Leave him alone,” she said.

“Isabelle, move. I do not want to get mad at you too,” Robert said, his voice was calm, but Alec could hear the strain behind it.

“No. I will not let you be mad at Alec for fighting for his own happiness.”

“Alexander's happiness does not matter in this. Especially not if he wants to be with servant boys.” Robert turned to look at Alec. “Now get up on that altar and marry Lydia like a real prince would.” Alec shook his head.

“He can’t,” Lydia called as she made her way over to them. “I won’t let him give up his happiness. I am not going to marry him. And I wish him all the best with Magnus.” Alec smiled over at Lydia, thankful for her input. Now his father couldn't make him marry her at all.

“Guards!” Robert called. Immediately four guards gathered around them. “I want that servant in the dungeons. Alexander, you can go to your room and stay there.” Alec put a hand around Magnus's waist and pulled him close, away from the guards.

“Magnus is not going anywhere,” he said. He was not gonna let anyone take him away from him again. Never again. Not now, that he was ready to stick to him and be who he was.

“Don't forget who is the leader here, Alexander,” Robert growled.

“Magnus hasn't done anything wrong. You can't throw him in the dungeons.”

“He crashed a royal wedding, that's more than enough to put him in prison for years!”

“He did not do such a thing, he was simply late and _I_ crashed my wedding.” Robert glared at all of them, Alec, Magnus, Lydia, and Izzy. He was met with the same, defiant glare on all their faces.

“This will have consequences,” he snarled before leaving the room, the guards trailing after him.

“We'll deal with them,” Alec said after him before he looked down at Magnus. “We will, right? Deal with him. Together.”

“Yes, we will, of course we will,” Magnus nodded. “But first we have to deal with this wedding, I mean I bet there is a lot of food and wine and stuff. What do you plan to do with that now?” Alec gave it a thought for a second.

“Nothing is stopping us from following plans. We'll have the party, just like we were supposed to, except Lydia and I won't be married. At least that way nobody came here for no reason.”

“I love that idea, brother,” Izzy smiled and nodded. “You two… go and talk while I get all your guests into the ballroom. Lydia, will you help me?”

“Yes, just give me a second,” Lydia nodded and then turned to Alec, she took his hands into her own and smiled at him. “I am so happy for you. I wish you the best and I know you can do it. Don’t listen to your father. Your happiness is important..” Alec smiled.

“Thanks, Lydia. This also means you can be with John.” Lydia nodded.

“Yes, I'm sure he'll be very happy to hear that.” She gave his hand a quick squeeze before turning around and leaving with Izzy to gather everyone up. Alec turned to Magnus after they were finally left alone.

“Hi,” he whispered. Magnus smiled.

“Hi,” he said.

“I'm sorry,” Alec said immediately. “I… I thought I had to do what's best for the kingdom, I didn't think about myself. Or about you.” Magnus reached up to stroke Alec's cheek, and Alec leaned into the touch.

“It's okay, Alexander. You were doing what you thought was right. I'm sorry for rushing away like that. I mean… I probably would do it again because I can’t hurt either of us by pretending but… the way I ran away… I shouldn't have done that.”

“I would have done it too,” Alec confessed, his voice low.

“It still wasn't right. You begged me to stay, you needed me. And I left. I'm sorry.” Alec shook his head.

“We both did things we regret. Let's just forget about that now, let's just… be happy.” Magnus smiled.

“I would love to be happy with you, Alexander.”


	12. The day after

The rest of the day was spent partying. No one really cared much about everything that had happened. They were getting free food and free drinks, what was there to complain about? Other than a few weird looks and glances, no one said anything. Robert didn't show up again, which Alec was very glad for. Izzy and Lydia took over, prepared and arranged everything so it looked less like a wedding and more like a party, as they called it. Robert had been thinking of a calm wedding with romantic music in the background. Well, that couldn't be further from how it was now.

Izzy had ordered the orchestra to play some loud, “different” music. They had looked confused for a minute, but then hit it off with some good, light-hearted songs, melodies that quickly got stuck in everyone's heads. 

Alec spent most of the evening and night in the background, trying to make himself as invisible as he could with the golden suit on. Magnus stood close to him the whole time, and they talked about everything and nothing, just happy to be together. 

Jace had approached them after the party has started. He'd been confused about what had happened, as he'd never had a clue about Alec's feelings for Magnus. But in the end he'd been very happy for Alec, and wished him and Magnus the best. He'd even shook Magnus's hand and thanked him for making Alec happy. And Alec was happy, happy to have Magnus back by his side.

It had been so long… it was just a week, but hell it had impacted Alec. When was the last time he had a good night's sleep? Over a week ago, the last night Magnus stayed with him. He wondered if he could ask Magnus to stay over the night, or if it would be weird, now that they were… officially dating.

“Alexander?” Alec came back to a hand waving in front of his face and Magnus calling for him. “Are you listening to me?” Alec looked away and shook his head lightly.

“No, sorry.” 

“What's on your mind?” Magnus asked.

“The possibility of sleeping the whole night.”

“Huh?”

“Well, since our... fight I- I haven’t been able to sleep properly and I am- I am so exhausted, and I just want to sleep again but I feel like I can only get a good night's sleep… with you by my side. And I was wondering if I could ask you to stay or if it would be weird.”

“That would not be weird at all. I would love to stay the night.” Magnus reached for one of Alec's hands. “You didn't…” Magnus gestured to his knuckles. “Did you?” Alec smiled softly and shook his head.

“No,” he said. “I… I couldn't do it without thinking of you, and when you asked me to not hurt myself. I just remembered that and… yeah, that stopped me.” 

Magnus smiled at that and leaned over to kiss Alec's cheek. “You said you are exhausted… do you want to call it an early night and go to bed?”

“I would love that. I'm sure we can sneak away without anyone noticing.” Magnus nodded, agreeing. Everyone was too busy with the party to notice two people leaving early.

“I have to speak to Luke first,” Magnus remembered. “I haven't actually spoken with him for a week and I need to tell him I won't be coming home tonight.” Alec nodded.

“Okay. I'll wait for you here.”

 

* * *

 

Magnus left Alec to hunt for Luke in the crowd. He had to apologize and explain the situation.

He found him sitting alone by one of the tables, sipping at a glass of what Magnus guessed was wine. Magnus sat down in front of him.

“Magnus! I was wondering when you would decide to make an appearance,” Luke said.

“Luke, I'm really sorry. For everything that happened, for… locking myself away and not talking to you for an entire week. I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, Magnus,” Luke assured him. “I understand what was going on now, and I know from experience that sometimes you have to deal with heartbreak alone.”

“Yeah, but still. You're like a father to me, Luke. I shouldn't have locked you out like that. And I should have told you about Alec.”

“Don't worry about it, Magnus. It's in the past now. Just tell me one thing, do you love him?” Magnus nodded and answered without hesitation.

“I do. I love him so much…”

Luke nodded and reached for Magnus’s hands. “Then I hope you two will be happy. It won’t be easy. For several reasons but… I really wish you the best.”

“Thanks, Luke,” Magnus said. “Also, one more thing… don't expect me home tonight.” Luke looked at him and smirked.

“Are you gonna spend the night with Alec?” He asked. “Remember it'll be your job to clean the sheets tomorrow.” Magnus blushed and looked away from Luke.

“We're not gonna… do that. And I'm not sure if I'm back on the servant job, I have to talk to Alec about it.”

“You will find out what you two are going to do now. For tonight, just enjoy the moment.”

“We will… in clean sheets,” he added and then turned around to go to Alec. He could hear Luke chuckle as he left. 

He found Alec exactly where he'd left him. “Hey, let's get it off here,” he said to catch Alec's attention. Alec nodded and smiled, and they walked out of the room hand in hand.

 

* * *

 

They reached Alec's room. Alec thought how he'd slept here for the last time days ago, but here he was again. With Magnus. 

Alec closed the door behind them, glad to finally be away from everyone else. Finally alone with Magnus. “Magnus? May I kiss you again?” he asked hesitantly, looking at Magnus. Magnus smiled softly at him. 

“You may,” he said, stepping closer to Alec till they were pressed against each other, touching all the way from thighs to chest. Magnus put his hands around Alec's neck, playing with the hair at the nape. Even with Magnus on the tip of his toes, Alec still had to lean down to kiss him.

It never got any less wonderful. Alec had kissed Magnus twice before, and it still felt like the first time. Magnus's lips were so soft, and when Magnus's tongue probed at his lips for the first time it was warm and gentle, like Magnus himself. And when their tongues touched it was electrifying, and Alec couldn't help but shiver at the feeling. He had no idea what he was doing, but he knew he wanted to keep doing it. 

Alec's hand around Magnus's waist pulled him closer, closer. But it was never close enough. 

Alec only pulled away when the need for air forced him to. “I hear that relationships they… they take effort,” he said.

“I'm all for effort.”

Alec grinned and decided to kiss Magnus again, but only briefly. He really needed to sleep. Magnus must have noticed how tired he looked.

“Come on now, let's get you into bed,” he said. He started to untie the bowtie around Alec's neck before putting it aside carefully. He did the same to the jacket of Alec's suit and then started to undo his shirt.

“Magnus, you really don't have to do this…” Alec started.

“Hush now, Alexander. I'm your servant, ain't I? This is my job.” Alec chuckled lightly.

“Yeah, I guess you are,” he said, smiling. Magnus finished the buttons on his shirt and pulled it off Alec's shoulders before folding it and placing it with the rest of the clothes. He moved away to let Alec take off his pants alone and started working on his own clothes. 

Alec made a quick job of taking off his pants and then looked at Magnus. He'd only taken his jacket off and was looking hesitantly at Alec. “I… how do you want me? Do you want me in the bed with you, or just here like the other nights?” He asked. Alec approached him and started working on the buttons of Magnus’s shirt.

“I want you on the bed with me, of course,” Alec said. He stopped unbuttoning Magnus's shirt for a second to look up at Magnus. “Unless you don't want that…”

“Of course I want that, Alec. I just wasn't sure if _ you _ wanted it.”

“I want you close to me, Magnus. As close as I can get you.” Alec pushed Magnus's shirt off and hesitantly moved to remove his pants. He undid the button and pulled them down slowly, never breaking eye contact with Magnus. The pants slid down to his thighs, Alec's fingers brushing along the skin. Magnus kicked off his shoes to take the pants off completely.

They were both standing there in just their underwear, looking at each other and not sure about what to do next.

“Erm… bed now, sleep,” Magnus decided.

“Yes, yes. Sleep,” Alec agreed, but didn't’ move. He just kept staring at Magnus, he couldn’t believe that this was real, that he was with Magnus and they were… a couple? They’d have to talk about that.

“Then get your arse in bed, Alec,” he chuckled. Magnus and took a step forward so he could push Alec gently. 

“Yeah… yeah, I am on my way,” Alec mumbled and took Magnus’s hand before he turned around and moved to his bed. He pulled the sheets back and then got in.

It was all a bit awkward but Magnus soon was laying next to him and took his hand. “We should relax. I mean, this is just sleeping and we have done that before so… it’s nothing new, is it?”

“It is… a bit. I mean now we know what we feel and we’ve kissed in front of everyone and this time you are also not really wearing clothes and you're in the bed with me, so… it is a bit different, but a good different.”

“I guess it's a little different.” Magnus turned his head so he could look at Alec. “It's definitely something I could get used to though,” he said. Alec looked at him too and smiled.

“I wouldn't mind getting used to this,” he mumbled, pulling Magnus closer so they were chest to chest, their bodies barely touching, but still enough to make Alec shiver. 

“You know… I promised Luke that the sheets would stay clean, so close your eyes and turn around, or just close your eyes. But try to sleep” Alec blushed and averted Magnus's eyes. 

“We're not gonna do that,” he said. “I'm about to pass out anyway, so if I don't go to sleep I'll just black out. Don't worry about that.” 

“Sleep, Alexander,” Magnus said, running a hand through Alec's hair. He settled down more comfortably on the bed and closed his eyes. Alec smiled at how soft his face looked, how peaceful he was, before closing his own eyes. He enjoyed the warmth radiating from Magnus's body, it was like there was a current of energy under his skin, always keeping him warm. Alec moved closer and rested his head on Magnus’s chest, just enjoying the warmth and comfort. 

He fell asleep in a matter of minutes, the exhaustion of the week catching up with him.

 

* * *

 

Magnus woke up to the seven o'clock bells, confused for a moment about where he was before turning his head and seeing Alec. It all came back to him, the invitation from Isabelle, the event at the wedding, the party, them going to bed. Together. 

Alec was sleeping peacefully, he was on his stomach with his arm thrown over Magnus's waist, his face the most relaxed Magnus had ever seen it. Magnus couldn't refrain the urge of running a hand through Alec's hair and let it rest on his cheek. He realized, as he did it, that he didn't have to refrain it anymore. He and Alec were together. A couple. Who kissed, and slept in the same bed and said that they loved each other. It was amazing, but Magnus knew that they had some difficult times to face in the future. There was Lilith, but also society and Alec's father. It wouldn't be easy for them, but they would get through it. Together.

“Magnus?” asked Alec and tightened his arm around him. It was adorable, and Magnus wished he could freeze that moment.

“I'm here, Alexander.” Magnus moved his hand down Alec's neck and up his shoulder to rest it between his shoulder blades. “I'm here,” he repeated. He couldn't believe that he could touch Alec like this, so freely. It felt so good, and right. This was how it was supposed to be. “I love you,” he whispered. Alec smiled up at him.

“I love you too,” he mumbled, his voice still groggy from sleep.  

“You shouldn't be awake yet,” Magnus said. “You need to sleep.”

“I'm okay, Magnus. I feel better than I have in days, thanks to you.” 

“I slept really good, too. You make a nice blanket.” Alec chuckled.

“And you make an excellent pillow. A very warm one, too.” they both smiled, relishing in each other's company. 

“I missed you a lot this week,” Magnus confessed, his thumb stroking circles on Alec's back.

“I missed you, too, Magnus.” Alec turned around so he was on his back, Magnus's hand now resting on his chest. Alec reached up and linked their fingers. “It’s incredible how nice this feels. I mean we're just laying here but still… it feels so good. It’s all I ever wanted.” Magnus nodded, silently agreeing with him. He was happy. It wasn't that he hadn't been happy before this, but now he was at peace, for once he didn't need anything else in his life. 

“I'm glad you didn't marry Lydia,” he said. It was too hard to explain everything he was feeling, so he settled for just saying that. Alec smiled.

“Me too. Thank you for not letting me do it.”

“I just crashed your wedding.” 

“No,  _ I  _ crashed my wedding. You were simply late,” Alec said. “If my father hears you say that, he'll throw you in the dungeons.”

“Isn't your father just a sweetheart?” Magnus joked. “I can take care of myself, Alec.” 

“I know, but I'll still worry about you. And my father is the king, you can't just fight your way out of it if he orders you to be taken to the dungeons.”

“I'm fine, Alexander. I won't let that happen. What do you want to do? I mean, you're with me now, so you won’t be able to produce an heir for the throne. I think you'll still make a great king, and you will but… you have to talk to your father about this and make everyone else believe in you.”

“I don't think I can face my father. At least not yet. And about the offspring, I'm sure Izzy and Jace will have children. And when I become king I'll remove the law of only full blood royal children can take over the throne.”

“That sounds like a great plan.” 

“We still have a long way to go before that though. I mean, first I have to become king. And then Izzy and Jace will have to find someone, and then have children… yeah.” 

“Well, we have lots of time to get through all of it.” Magnus shuffled closer to Alec and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “And Jace already has found someone. You can’t tell me that you don’t know about Clary.”

“Oh, I know. I know they had something going on, but I didn't know it was serious.”

“Oh, it is. He even came to me for advice on what to get her for her birthday.”

“Huh. Well, he never told me.”

“You never told him about me, so I guess that makes you even,” Magnus said.

“I told him about you. Just not about my feelings for you.” They were silent for a while, Magnus tracing patterns on Alec's chest and listening to his breath. He never wanted to leave this moment. But eventually, they had to.

“Alec, are you in there? Are you awake? Are you dressed?” Someone's voice came through the door. Isabelle. Alec groaned.

“What do you want?” He yelled.

“What, can't a sister visit her brother?”

“Do you need something, or are you just here to yell at me?” 

“Dad wants to talk to you. He's not happy.” Alec groaned again.

“I'll be out in a minute,” he said. He turned to Magnus. “Sorry, I have to go.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Magnus offered. Alec shook his head.

“No. I don't want you near him. You're not a part of this, he's not allowed to take it out on you.”

“I am a part of this. I don’t want to give myself too much credit but I think I am, at least partially responsible for this.”

“It's not you he's mad at, Magnus. He's mad at me, for not marrying Lydia, for… for being gay. I don't want him to take it out on you.”

“But I don't want him to take it out on _ you.  _ He acts like this is something you chose, it's not. And he shouldn't be mad at you for that.”

“But he is, and I can't do anything about it. I'm used to him being mad and disappointed in me, but if he starts yelling at you… I might punch him. Which wouldn't be good for anyone.”

“This is adorable and sweet and stupid, Alexander” 

“All three at the same time?”

“Yes. Somehow you manage to be a lot of things at the same time.” Magnus pulled Alec close to kiss his cheek. “Go then. I'll be here when you come back.”

“I hope it won’t be too long… I love you.” 

“I love you, too,”  Magnus smiled and leaned back into the pillows as he watched Alec get dressed. He missed his warmth already, missed Alec body besides his own. He watched Alec leave the room, close the door behind him, and then Magnus turned around in the bed, pressing his face into the pillow Alec had been using. It still smelled like him.

Alec wasn't the only one who hadn't slept much the last week, and after a few minutes, Magnus was drifting back off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Alec left the room behind, shutting the door so no one would go in or even look inside. It was his view, Magnus like that. Sleepy and cute. Alec didn't want anyone else to see that part of him. 

He walked through the corridors, nervous and scared if he was being honest. He didn’t know what to expect, except for the fact that it wasn’t going to be easy. He knew his father was angry, angrier then he had ever been before, but Alec wouldn’t back down, not now and not ever. He knew it was right and it was okay. He just needed to convince his father about that. 

Alec hesitated outside his father's office. He didn't know if he could fight with his father forever, but he definitely wasn't giving up yet. He gave a small knock on the door before stepping inside. “Father,” he greeted with a nod. His father didn't respond, and instead only nodded to the chair in front of him. Alec shook his head.

“I'm not sitting down, father. Just say what you wanna say.”

“I have a lot to say, Alexander. How could you do that? Not only is he a servant, but he is also a man! This goes against everything this kingdom stands for. I will not let you have this relationship with him. He is no longer welcome here in Idris. He was only a guest so he has no right to stay here and I can legally send him away. Maybe this will bring you back on track. And about Lydia, she is on her way home but I will find another woman who is willing to marry you.”

“No, you won't. You won't send Magnus away, and you won't find me anyone else to marry.”

“I will. I have already sent orders for him to be taken out of the city, there are two guards on the way to his house right now.”

“Good thing Magnus isn't there then. I won't let you keep controlling my life, I won't give up everything to make you proud. And I won't let you hurt him.”

“How can you care about him? He is a man. If he was a woman I could understand, but this is a man we're talking about. It is wrong for you to care about him, to have feelings for him.”

“There's nothing wrong about it! What's wrong is you not accepting me. What's wrong is that you think it's wrong.”

“Well. It’s bad luck for you, Alexander, because  _ I  _ am the king and not you. So I am the one in control and my word counts. So you can scream and protest as much as you want but he will leave the city. Today.”

“You can't make him leave the city if no one can find him,” Alec said before spinning on his heels, leaving the room and closing the door loudly behind him. It attracted a few looks from bypassing servants, but no one said anything.

Alec stormed down the hall, forcing away tears that were rising to his eyes. He couldn't lose Magnus, not now, not when he'd just gotten him!

“Alec!” Izzy was running after him. “Alec, stop, wait for me!” She caught up with him quickly. “How'd it go? What did he say?”

“He wants to send Magnus away, Izzy. He wants to banish him from the city.” 

“What?! He can't do that!”

“He can, Izzy. Magnus isn't a citizen of our kingdom, that gives dad the right to throw him out, no questions asked.”

“How... How long can you hide him? How much time do I have to think about something?”

“I don't know. They're searching his house right now, but he isn't there. We could spend a day in the secret room, and maybe hide for an entire week. But I don't want that for him, I don't want him to be on the run.”

“Just make sure the guards don't find him. I'll figure something out by tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Izzy,” Alec said. “I… I'll go tell him now.”

“Be quick and careful,” she said as she rushed away.

Alec looked after her for a moment and then kept running back to his room, which was luckily still closed. He opened it and looked at Magnus, who was sleeping. It broke Alec's heart a little that he had to wake him and rush him out of the room but he moved over and gently shook Magnus’s shoulder. “Magnus,” he said softly. Magnus mumbled something but otherwise had no reaction. In any other situation, he would stop to enjoy how cute Magnus looked. But today he was in a hurry. He shouldn't have told his father Magnus wasn't at home, he would understand Magnus had spent the night with Alec. They'd lost some time because of that. Alec was sure that guards would soon enter his room to look for Magnus. “Magnus,” he said again, this time a bit more forcefully. He also rocked his shoulder again. “You have to wake up, now”

Magnus groaned and turned over so he could look up at Alec. “What is it?” He mumbled.

“We have to get out of here, they're coming for you.” Magnus blinked confusedly up at him.

“Huh?” He asked, still half asleep. Oh, how Alec wished he had time to enjoy the adorableness.

“I'll explain as we go, but right now you need to get dressed.” Alec pulled the covers off Magnus, and then felt guilty when he shivered. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry for all of this,” he said. “Come on,” Alec took Magnus's hand to pull him out of the bed. Magnus sat up and looked around himself with tired eyes.

“Alexander, what's going on?” he asked.

“They're coming for you,” Alec said, rummaging through this closet for something that would fit Magnus. Magnus's own clothes, the suit he'd worn the day before, would attract too much attention. “Here, put this on,” he said, handing Magnus a pair of simple, black pants and a white shirt. Magnus grabbed them and put them on quickly, obviously still unsure if what was going on, but probably sensing Alec's worry. 

“Come on,” Alec picked up Magnus’s other clothes, hid them under the things Magnus was currently wearing then grabbed Magnus's hand to pull him out of the room and through the hall quickly, leading them to the secret room they had been in all that time ago. He was constantly looking around, into every corridor they passed. He couldn’t risk it that a guard might see them.

“Alexander, will you please tell me what's wrong?” Magnus asked as Alec led them into the dark corridor that led to the secret room.

“He wants you out of the city, Magnus. Out of the kingdom. He's sending guards to find you and escort you away.”

“Wait, am I a fugitive?”

“Yes, for now. Izzy's working on a plan, we'll figure it out. But for now, we have to hide you. I'm sorry. I don’t want to… put you into such a small room but we know that dad doesn’t know about this place so it’s safe for you. Magnus, I can’t lose you, not now, not ever.” 

“It's okay, Alexander. I don't need very much space to be comfortable. Remember I lived in a village all my life, my room at Luke's house is almost bigger than my old house.”

“Still, this is a small room, there's nothing there. I'll bring you food and I'll sneak in a blanket and a pillow to make it comfortable for you.”

“Relax, Alexander. There's more than enough there. I remember seeing a bookshelf, so that'll keep me entertained for a while.”

“I’ll try to spend as much time here as I can, without it becoming suspicious.”

“Thank you. I'm sure Isabelle will come up with something genius, and until then I'll just read some books. No problem.” Alec stopped in front of the door leading to the actual room. He fumbled for the handle and opened it. Once inside he quickly lit the fireplace to warm the room and shed some light before turning to Magnus again. 

“I have to go or dad will get suspicious, but I'll come back soon with some food for you, okay?” Magnus nodded. “Magnus,” Alec said, pulling Magnus close. “We'll get through this, we'll figure it out.” He leaned down to kiss Magnus quickly, just pecking his lips. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you too.” Alec kissed him again, a little longer, but still much shorter than he would like to. “Go now,” Magnus mumbled. “I'll be fine.”

 

* * *

 

Magnus was still confused, maybe he wasn’t fully awake yet. He watched Alec leave the room and then looked around. He pulled his own clothes out and placed them on a chair. So this would be where he was going to hide for the next few days. So far so good, there was only one problem. The toilet. Clearly Alec hadn't thought about that.

There were a few possibilities. Magnus could either try to sneak out of the room and to the closest bathroom, which could risk him being seen, and he had no idea where he was so he didn't know where the bathroom was either. Or he could try to make a portal to the bathroom he knew, which could risk someone seeing him use magic, or him not managing to make the portal right and end up in limbo, or maybe not managing to make the portal all. Magnus had never made a portal before, only read about them. His last option was to just hold it till Alec came back and then follow him to the closest bathroom. Maybe there was a secret bathroom somewhere in the castle. 

Magnus went for the last one. 

In the meantime, he would have to find something to distract himself. He moved to the bookshelf and looked through his alternatives. There were a few books in different languages, and some others on boring subjects Magnus didn't care about. There were also one or two books Magnus had already read before. Magnus picked a book that didn't fit in any of those categories and sat down on a chair as be started reading.

He got bored about five pages into the book. Magnus usually wasn't one to complain over reading material, but maybe it was just because he was stressed. He went to change the book, to look for something more exciting.

He looked through the titles of the books,  _ boring, boring, boring, already read, weird language, boring, boring, weird language,  _ Magnus skimmed through the books, afraid for a minute that he wouldn't find anything interesting to read. Until something caught his eye. 

The book wasn't particularly thick, and nothing about it screamed for attention. And yet, as soon as Magnus's laid eyes on it, he couldn't look away. He picked it out of the shelf carefully, studying it like that would explain why he had this feeling. Magnus looked at the title. It was just weird shapes, but somehow Magnus understood what it said.  _ Edom, magic, and prophecies. _

“What the hell,” Magnus mumbled, opening the book. The same weird shapes were covering the pages, but it was almost like they moved around on the paper to spell out their meaning for Magnus. But the weirdest part was what the shapes said, what they meant.

_ If anyone is reading this, the time has come. The once and future king has been born, and Lilith is planning her attack. It is up to the king to defeat her, but he will have a long path of learning and discovering until he is ready. I wish I could tell you what has to be done, but that is not in my place to tell. I will simply give you facts you might need along the way.  _

That was the entire first page. Just that, the rest blank. And Magnus was too baffled to be angry that there was again not really anything he needed, just hints. He turned to the next page, to see what the “small facts you might need” were. Almost every page was pretty much empty. Waste of paper if you asked Magnus. The first fact:  _ When the troll stands in the middle, go left.  _ Was that supposed to make sense? Next page.  _ The second glass.  _ Three words. Three words were the only thing on the entire page. And they didn’t mean anything. Magnus sighed and put the book back in its place. There was nothing interesting in it. Just random phrases and too little words. After a few minutes of searching, he finally settled on a book about the history of Idris. 

 

* * *

 

Alec was restless, he hated this whole situation. He didn’t want Magnus to be in that small room and not be allowed to go out.  _ Luke!  _ He thought, he had to tell Luke that Magnus was fine, he was probably worried after there had been guards searching his house. Alec moved through the halls as he if had done nothing wrong, which he hadn’t, and made his way out of the castle, heading for Luke’s house.

Once he was there he knocked on the door, standing nervously in front of it as he waited for Luke to open. He didn’t have to wait long. 

“Alec! What are you doing here?” Luke exclaimed as he opened the door.

“I need to talk to you, can I come in?” 

“Of course, come,” Luke said, waving him inside. “Is it about Magnus?” He asked anxiously. Alec nodded.

“They won’t find him, he’s in a secret room. Izzy is working on a way out of this, we will figure it out,” Alec said. “I just thought you should know.” 

“Oh thank God” sighed Luke and relaxed visibly. “I was so scared about him when the guards came looking for him”

“I know. I was terrified when dad told me he was gonna send him away. I hid him immediately.” 

“What am I gonna tell his mother? He’s not gonna be a fugitive, is he? They can’t hunt him forever.”

“No, they won’t. We’ll find a way out of it.” 

“Good. Thank you for telling me, Alec. But now you need to get going before someone sees you here and gets suspicious.” Alec nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll get going,” he said, making his way out. “I’ll take care of him. I know he can take care of himself, but I’ll take care of him. He’s saved my life twice, I owe him this.”

“Yeah… I know he can take care of himself but still, it’s nice to have someone to help,” Luke smiled and opened the door for Alec. “Take care of yourself, too.” Alec nodded.

“I will,” he said before turning around and leaving the house. 

It had been about half an hour since he left Magnus in the secret room. He felt bad already, he wanted to go to him, at last be there so Magnus wasn’t all alone. But he couldn’t, not yet. Someone would suspect something if he disappeared every half an hour. And then his father would put someone on his tail and he wouldn’t be able to go to Magnus again.

Instead he made his way to the field, looking for someone he could train with. He ignored all the knights, spotted Jace but saw him busy with Raj, and then saw Izzy alone at the end of the field.

“Izzy!” He called, making his way over to her. She was training with her whip, so he kept a safe distance. He did not want to get hit by that, and he pitied everyone who was. “Izzy, are you busy?” He called again, this time catching her attention. She stopped the whip midair and pulled it back to herself.

“Not really. What do you want?” 

“I want to train with you” She smiled.

“Okay. It’s been a while, brother.”

“Yeah, I’ve been so busy. First the wedding, and then the sword, and now Magnus…” Izzy replaced her whip with a staff. 

“Let’s fight then, make sure you haven’t forgotten how.” Alec huffed and grabbed his own staff.

“Of course not, what do you think of me? I bet I can kick your ass in five minutes.” 

“Yeah? How much? Twenty gold coins says I have you on the ground in the next three.”

“No. No bet,” Alec said. He liked his gold coins. He didn’t use them much, but he was saving up for something. He wasn’t sure what yet, but something.

“Hah. We both know I’ll kick your ass.”

“Shut up.” 

“Whatever you want, brother,” She said with a smirk as she attacked.

 

* * *

 

Alec and Izzy kept training for a while. The first round was won by Alec but after that Izzy kicked his ass. At the end he sat down on the floor and panted. “Oh damn, Izzy. When did I become this bad?”

“Alec, you’re not bad. I’m just ridiculously good.”

“You will take literally every opportunity to brag, won’t you?” Izzy flipped her hair. 

“What can I say? It’s in my blood.” 

“Is it? You must have been adopted then.”

“No, Alec. You’re getting this all wrong, you’re the adopted one. Jace and I are from the bragging family.” Alec snorted.

“Dad has some explaining to do.”

“Dad can go fuck himself.” Alec sighed.

“Yeah,” he said. “Have you thought up anything? About how to get Magnus out of this?” Izzy shook her head.

“No, I’m still working on it.”

“Thank you, Izzy, for helping me.”

“Of course Alec. I mean I also helped you with Magnus and the wedding so, I won’t let dad break this up so soon,” she told him and sat down next to him. “I am proud of you. And so, so happy that you have found him and are ready to admit this.”

“Thank you. I am really happy about this as well. I love him and now that everyone in this kingdom already knows it, I will not back down, never again.”

“I’m happy for you Alec.”

“Thank you,” smiled Alec and leaned his head against Izzy’s shoulder.

“I love you, brother.”

“I love you too.”

“You should go visit Magnus. I’m sure you’ve been away long enough. And bring him some food, he must be starving.” Alec nodded, standing up.

“Yeah, I will. Thank you, Izzy. For everything.” He left the field behind him as he headed for the kitchen where he picked up a few things to eat and some water. Alec then went in the direction of the secret room, constantly checking to make sure nobody was watching him as he slipped into the hidden hallway. He fumbled through the dark until he arrived at the door again, opening it and stepping inside.

“Magnus?” he called, getting his attention up from whatever book he was reading. 

“Alexander! I’ve been waiting for you to show up.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I couldn’t come too early or I could risk someone getting suspicious. But I brought some food and water.” Magnus smiled.

“Thank you, Alexander. I’m starving.” Magnus stood up to grab one of the sandwiches from Alec’s hand. “But there’s something I need even more than food.” Alec frowned.

“What’s that?” 

“A bathroom, Alexander. There isn’t any in this room.” Alec mentally slapped himself. Of course! How hadn’t he thought of that? 

“By the angel, I am so sorry. I didn’t think about that, I just… god, I’m so sorry.”

“Alexander, relax,” Magnus said, placing a hand on his chest, over his heart. Like that would make him relax. “You were in a hurry to get me away, you couldn’t think about everything. Just… take me to one now, please” Alec nodded.

“Yes, yes. Of course,” He said. “But… we’ll have to be careful.”

“Alec I am not planning to wear bright colors or wave a torch around so people will look at me, but I really need to use a toilet. As soon as possible.”

“Okay. I’ll take you to one, now. Come on,” Alec said, opening the door again. He took Magnus’s hand so he could lead him through the corridor. 

He didn’t actually need to hold his hand, the corridor was dark but there was only one way. But it was an excuse to hold Magnus’s hand, Alec wasn’t going to waste it. 

He opened the door to the hallway and looked around carefully before pulling Magnus out and closing it behind them quickly. He looked around nervously and then quickly pulled Magnus into the direction of the nearest bathroom. They passed the corridors with no problem. They were just one turn away from the bathroom, just a little bit more and they would be there. Alec turned the corner quickly, without looking around first. And ran headfirst into a knight.

They just stared at each other for a few seconds before the knight reacted, grabbing Alec’s arm. Alec tried to hide Magnus behind him, but he knew there was no point. “What are you doing? Anyone could see him here!” The guard said. Alec stopped up, staring at the knight. 

“What?”

“The king has knights patrolling the hallways, anyone could see him,” the knight nodded towards Magnus.

“He… he needs a bathroom,” Alec said. 

“Oh. Well hurry, I’ll try to keep them away from here,” the knight said, moving out of their way to continue his patrolling. Alec stared after him for a second. Curly, blond hair, blue eyes. Alec would have to thank him somehow, someday. When all of this was figured out. 

“Alec… please. I had to hold it for a while,” Magnus whispered and reminded him of the reason for their walk through the castle.

“Right. Right, sorry.” Alec took them the last few meters to the bathroom. “In here. I’ll wait.”

“Thank you,” Magnus sighed and slipped through the door.

 

* * *

 

Once Magnus was done in the bathroom he got out again and smiled at Alec. “Thank you… This really was necessary.”

“Of course. I should have thought about it. I have to figure out a way to let you come here alone without being caught, whenever you need to. Hopefully, you won’t have to hide for long.” Alec took Magnus’s hand to pull him along again, even more on guard now after the knight told him there were other knights patrolling the halls.

They made it back to the room without any complications, and Magnus threw himself over the food, only realizing now after he’d been to the bathroom, how hungry he was.

“I forgot something but I’ll bring you the blanket and pillow later. What did you do while I was gone?”

“I read, as you saw when you first came. I am now an expert in Idris’s history. Did you know Gabriel Lightwood married a farm girl? He wasn’t the heir to the throne, so he didn’t have to make any heirs, but still. He married a girl from outside the city, who lived and worked on a farm. And wasn't in any way royal. That means there could be a chance for us.”

“Yeah… if you were a girl.”

“Times change, Alexander. Him marrying a non-royal person at the time was like the biggest tragedy that could happen, but people warmed up to it, and they loved Cecily. The same thing can happen here, now. With us.”

“Let’s hope so. Maybe people will come to terms with it, but dad probably won't.”

“I’m sorry about your dad, Alec”

“Yeah, me too. But I can’t change what he thinks, and he certainly can’t change what I think or feel.”

Magnus nodded, he understood that and loved it, to know that Alec was standing beside him. “Alexander? I... I appreciate your effort but I don’t think your father will change his opinion about me soon. Maybe it would be easier if I were to leave Idris? But before you protest, listen to me. You could come with me, call it a diplomatic travel and then I would actually come with you, as your servant. We could train on the way and prepare you for Lilith as well as we could… well, deepen our relationship, since there won’t be anyone to tell us not to.” Alec looked at Magnus for a while, obviously thinking about the suggestion.

“That’s not a bad idea,” he said. “I’ll just have to convince dad… he’ll understand this is just a plan so I can be with you. But I’ll figure it out.”

“Well you should go on that trip, many places must have heard about what happened at the wedding, you need to explain it.” Alec nodded.

“Yes, absolutely. I will convince him. I’ll do that right now actually. I’ll come by later with a pillow and a blanket.”

“Yes, of course. But kiss me before you leave.” Alec smiled.

“Of course,” he said, pulling Magnus close by his waist. Magnus almost melted against Alec, it had been so long since they kissed. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like forever. When Alec started pulling away Magnus pulled him back in. He was not ready to let him go again so soon.

“Stay with me,” he whispered against his lips. “Just a few more minutes.” Alec gave in, pulling him closer again.

“Okay, just a few more minutes.”

“Just a few more minutes” Magnus repeated and tightened his arms around Alec to make sure he wouldn’t move away. Not before Magnus was ready to let him get away. He kissed him again, so happy that he could do that now. That he could kiss Alec freely. At least when they were alone. 

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” Alec said with a smile.

They stood like that for a rather long time, much longer then they had intended at first, but neither of them cared. “I really have to go now and talk to my father. If everything goes like we want to then we will be able to let you out of here by tomorrow evening” Alec smiled and kissed Magnus quickly before he turned to leave the room. “By tomorrow we will start a new chapter of our lives, Magnus," he said with a smile.


	13. The journey begins

Alec walked through the halls of the castle, on his way to his father's office. He knocked at the door before entering. Yes, he was mad at his father, and he didn't think he deserved any respect from him. But he still had manners. Alec entered when he heard a ‘yes’ from the inside. “Father I have an offer to make, it’s a plan and I think you will actually appreciate it,” he announced as he walked inside and closed the door behind himself.

"If this plan included that boy leaving the Kingdom, please tell.”

“It does, actually. It also includes me leaving the Kingdom. On a diplomatic mission.”

“So you can snuggle your servant far away without me to stop you? Not happening. I’m not stupid, Alexander.”

“I know you're not, so I am sure that you also want me to go actually. I have to talk to other kings and queens, to explain to them what happened. They must have heard about the wedding, that we did not keep up with the promised wedding between Lydia and me, they have to know why that happened and that we are actually a reliable kingdom. A kingdom people can trust in and have faith in their contracts. That this wedding incident was a one time only thing and that we do, in fact take our relationships with other kingdoms seriously. And who would be better at explaining this, then me? The one who actually broke the contract in the first place?”

"And you would be explaining that to them with that servant by your side. It’s better if I send out a letter to all the nearby kingdoms, you won’t leave the city.”

"And how are you gonna keep me here? I’m not your prisoner.”

“No, but you are my son.”

“That doesn’t mean you can control my life!”

“Careful with your tone, Alexander. You do not yell at a king.”

“You’re not king to me. You're supposed to be my father!”

“Are you gonna explain the situation to kings and queens with this attitude?”

“You know what? Just wait here for an hour, I’ll be back with enough arguments for you to find some stupid response to.” Alec stormed out of the office in search for Izzy. He knew she’d mentioned something once, something he could get use for now. After a while of searching, he found her in her room.

“Izzy,” He said immediately. “What did you tell me once, about some king that had to come here because they needed to discuss the peace contracts?” Izzy looked startled up at him from where she was painting her nails.

“Don’t you know how to knock?” She said.

“Sorry, sorry. Usually I do but this is urgent.” Izzy frowned.

“What is it?” She asked.

“That king, from, uh… Duort or something. He had to come here to discuss the peace contract. You told me about it years ago.”

“Oh, that. Alec, those are old news, why do you want to know about that?”

“Just tell me, Izzy. Please.”

“Okay, well… that was five years ago. The king of Dumort and dad had to discuss the peace between the two kingdoms, and none of them wanted to come visit the other. Eventually the king of Dumort, I think his name was Raphael, had to come here.”

“And then they didn’t get any peace because they were both unsatisfied.” finished Alec.

“Yeah. But seriously, can you tell me what’s going on?” 

“I found a way. Or, well, Magnus found a way. I just have to leave on a diplomatic mission and he could come with me.” 

“Alec, that’s genius! I wish I could have come up with that.”

“Yeah. Anyway, the tricky part is convincing dad. I just had a conversation with him. Anyway, we can use that thing to convince him. I can go to kingdoms, discuss peace and trades and all that kind of stuff, and everyone will be happy.” 

“Perfect. Let’s go talk to dad right now, I have plenty of stories like that stored away in my mind.” She linked their arms together and dragged him to their father's office.

 

* * *

 

Magnus was bored, he didn’t want to keep reading about Idris and its history. He wished he could practise his magic a bit but he couldn’t risk that Alec finding out. He could, of course, put up wards that would warn him if Alec was coming in, there was just one problem. He had no idea how to do that. So he was stuck to doing nothing as he waited for Alec to come back. Well, he could dream about the future, about his journey with Alec, all the things they would see, the places and the people and of course the time he would spend with Alec, with his boyfriend.

But other than that, he was bored out of his mind. And after almost an hour of imagining that, it became almost too painful. It was great, all the thoughts were happy, but it wasn’t a guarantee. So much could happen before Magnus’s thoughts become reality.

He tried to get his mind on something else. He paced around the room, spent almost twenty minutes looking at the flickering flames of the fireplace, reorganized the books first by title and then by author, tried to teach himself Latin by reading one of the books in that language, and everything else he could do in that small room.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but it had to be hours. He was about to just bang his head on the wall till he didn’t even know what bored meant anymore when he heard a noise from the direction of the door. His head shot up, if it was a guard, what would he do? The door was opened slowly, and behind it was Alec and Isabelle. Magnus sighed in relief.

“Hey,” he smiled and went over to hug Alec. “How did it go? I thought you would never come back.”

“Sorry. Dad isn’t easy to convince. I brought the blanket and pillow. We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

“Oh god. So it worked?” Magnus asked, smiling brightly. “Really? You and I will be together and we will see so much of this world? Will it just be the two of us? Or more people? And if more, who?” Alec smiled.

“It did work. We’ll go, just us two, no one else. Me, you, Shadowhunter, and Jem.”

“That’s wonderful!” exclaimed Magnus and hugged Alec again before he kissed him. “Oh, that’s just amazing.”

“I know. You’ll have to leave before sunrise, you’ll take Jem out of the stables and wait for me by the forest, there aren’t any guards there.” Magnus nodded.

“Okay, I can do that. But that means I am stealing a royal horse”

“Kind of, but that’s fine, I’ll make it look like he broke out himself. Nobody will care and those who do care… well, I’ll take care of them,” Isabelle smiled and pulled out the pillow and blanket from where she’d hidden it under her dress and gave it to Magnus.

“Thank you, both for helping with Jem and for the pillow and blanket,” smiled Magnus as he took the things and placed them on the chair next to the table. “I also think you helped with the convincing part?” he asked.

“Yeah I did. Sometimes Alec needs my help, when I'm not kicking his ass” Izzy chuckled.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Alec interrupted. He clearly didn’t want to be embarrassed by Izzy, but Magnus already knew that she was ridiculously good at fighting so it wasn’t a big surprise to him that she could kick his ass.

“Yeah and I’ll see you when you come back,” smiled Izzy and stepped forward to hug Magnus. “Don’t hurt him, I’ll kill you if you hurt him and you know that I can,” she whispered into his ear just before they broke apart and Magnus turned back to Alec. He pulled him in by the collar of his shirt and kissed him hard on the lips.

“I'll see you soon,” Magnus said when he pulled away

“Yes. I will pack us something so we will have things to sleep in and all that.”

“Of course you will. Bring the sword, the Soulsword. In case we need it.”

“What could we possibly need it for?”

“I don’t know, just bring it.”

“Okay, I will. Good night, Magnus.”

“Good night, Alexander.” With one last kiss, they separated, Alec left the small room with Isabelle behind him, and Magnus moved to make a kinda bed for himself. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep, and he had a smile on his lips as he did.

 

* * *

 

 

Magnus woke up the next morning to the 5 o’clock bells. He looked around and decided to pack the weird book about Edom, he couldn’t explain why but he had the feeling that he needed to pack it. He quickly got dressed then and left the room. Magnus went through the small passage and then quickly rushed through the caste, down to the stables where he got Jem ready. He was surprised to see him awake, but that made it all easier for him. Magnus looked around and decided to pick a few things like a blanket and some carrots and apples. He wrapped them into the blanket then quickly left the stables with Jem.

He didn’t encounter any guards on the streets, only the ones guarding the door to leave the city, but they paid him no mind. They were there to make sure no one came into the city, they didn’t care about who left it.

He made his way past all the farms, many of the farmers were already awake and working. He also passed the farm where Dot was working, it was difficult to leave her behind, they stayed friends. She understood him and wasn’t angry.

Now that he thought about it, Magnus hadn't talked to any of his friends ever since this whole thing had started. For over a week he’d closed off all contact, and now he was running away from the city. After a minute of contemplating, he decided to send them a firemessage. He would just make it appear in their bedroom or something, and they could wonder how the hell it had gotten there.

Magnus stopped Jem by the forest, right by the main path. Now he just had to wait about four hours for Alec to show up. In the meantime he was going to write the firemessages. He didn't have any paper to write on, or anything to write with, so he would have to be creative. He could, in theory, summon it. Except, once again, he'd only read about it, never done it. And what if there was some guards patrolling or something and he just saw something randomly disappear? Magnus wasn't sure how the summoning worked, but it didn't create things out of thin air, it summoned them from somewhere else.

Either way, Magnus didn't want to risk something going wrong, he would think of something. He looked around himself to see what he could use. There wasn't much there. Mostly just trees, and a few blueberry bushes. Nothing to write on.

Magnus had no idea where the limit of fire messages was. Could he send things through? Or just paper? If he wrote on a leaf, could he send that? He wished he'd asked these questions earlier, when he actually had ways to get the answer. _Maybe I could try?_ He wondered. Yes, he decided to try and send a firemessage on a leaf. The only problem now was to know if it went through. He supposed he could send a firemessage to himself to check and that was what he started with. He picked up a dead leaf from the ground and poked a hole in it, just to be sure it was the same leaf. With a simple word the leaf burst into flames, but they didn't hurt Magnus. It was weird, to watch his fingers surrounded by fire but only feel it tickling a little.

In a matter of seconds the leaf was gone. Magnus thought for a moment it wouldn't work since nothing appeared in front of him, but then the air caught on fire and the leaf started to materialize in front of him. “It worked!” He exclaimed, picking the leaf out of the air. Now he just had to find out how to write on then. And what to write. He had to keep it short.  At first he thought he could cut the words into the leave but that would only ruin it, then he looked around again and saw the blueberry-bush. Could he write with crushed blueberries? If he got a sharp stick he could crush the berries and use the juice inside as ink. That would definitely work. Now he just had to figure out what to write. What do you tell your friends in situations like this one? In the end he decided to just tell them that he was fine and with Alec on a mission. That they didn’t have to worry about him and that he loved them. And that if everything followed plans, he would be home again soon. He set fire to the leaves, one by one, and watched them burn away.

That whole thing had taken half an hour. Only three and a half hours till Alec would meet him there! Just three and a half hour alone outside the woods with nothing to do.

 

* * *

 

Alec woke with the seven o'clock bells, as usual. He'd been pretty restless the night before, but eventually he'd managed to fall asleep. Now he was already out of the bed and half dressed. He had to pack and get Shadowhunter ready so he could start his journey with Magnus.

He'd packed his clothes into a bag and fastened a belt with the soulsword around his waist. As an afterthought, he packed the crown too. He didn't like it, and he would be more than happy to leave it here. But it could be useful, especially if he was meeting up with other kings and queens.

When he was done packing his own stuff he left the bag in his room and went to Luke's house. He had to pack stuff for Magnus too. And if anyone got suspicious he could say he was there to collect some medication for the trip, which he probably should do as well.

He knocked lightly on the door, hoping he wasn't waking Luke. It was pretty early, maybe he should come back later… The door opened and revealed Luke, fully dressed and very awake.

“Alec, I was wondering when you would come by.” Luke gestured for him to come in. “Simon explained that you had found a way to not send Magnus away, at least not alone,” he explained, the confusion must have been obvious on his face. “I've already packed Magnus some clothes and a few books. I know you can't bring too much, but he wouldn't go anywhere without those books,” Luke said.

“What books?” Alec asked, curious about what was so important for Magnus.

“A novel he was halfway through, a book about hell and the demons in it, and his diary.”

“His diary?”

“Yes, his diary. Don't read it,” Luke warned.

“No, of course not. I would never do that.”

“Good,” Luke said, handing him the bag. “Also, you should bring this.” he handed him a smaller bag. “There are some potions and bandages and salves there, in case anything happens. Magnus should know how to use all of them, since he has worked with them here before.” Alec took that bag too and thanked Luke.

“Magnus is really lucky to have you, Luke. And I am, too. I mean you prepared some medication for us and salves so we can treat our possible wounds. You also know what Magnus loves and needs. I mean you packed his diary and the novel he currently reading. It’s very obvious that you care a lot about him and I appreciate it. He means a lot to me… No that’s wrong. I love him and I am glad that he has you as a part of his family.”

“Thank you for saying this Alec. He is like a son to me. And… I like you as well, so I am happy to hear that you love him, but be warned, I’ll come after you if you should ever hurt him, are we clear, Prince?” Luke threatened..

“Of course," Alec said. _So this was how it felt to be friendly threatened by your lovers parent,_ he thought. He and Luke talked for a little bit before he said his goodbyes, and left.

Once back in his room he placed the bags by his own before going to sit on his bed. He looked around himself, at his room. It had been his room ever since he was a child. And now he was going to leave it. It was just temporary, of course, but it still felt odd. To leave something he was so used to. Alec had never actually been out of the kingdom. Not that he could remember, at least.

Alec looked over at the bags. He felt like there was something he was forgetting, something important. He looked at the bags and made a mental checklist. He leant down on his side and felt the hilt of the sword poking at his hip. _The sword!_ Of course, he'd forgotten all about weapons!

He left his room and headed towards the weapons room. He had his own, small shelf there, with his bow, quiver, and arrows, and a few swords. He grabbed the bow and the quiver, which he filled with arrows immediately. He wasn't going anywhere without that. Then he looked at the swords, debating which would be best for Magnus. He couldn't let Magnus go without a weapon. Eventually he settled on a shortsword. It would be easy to weild and easy to travel with as it wasn't very big. As he moved to pick it up, something else caught his eye. A Ruby.

Alec picked up the small dagger, nine inches, with a Ruby glinting on the hilt. He hadn't used this dagger in _years._ It had been a gift from his father when he turned ten, back in the days his father still cared.

Alec didn't use daggers much, and his relationship with his father wasn't what it used to be. But for some reason he felt like he had to bring it along. Alec fastened the scabbards of the weapons to a belt, fastened his quiver, and took everything with him back up to his room.

 _Now_ he had everything, he was sure of it. But he still had two hours before he could leave, which he would probably spend doing nothing. He should probably go eat, he'd been in such a hurry he'd completely forgotten breakfast.

He made his way to the kitchen to get a quick breakfast and packed some food and water for their trip on the way. He was gonna bring his money, but food was always good to have, there weren't always taverns everywhere. Alec ate his breakfast and then went back to his room to waste two hours.

 

* * *

 

Alec was going to leave soon. Shadowhunter was ready, his bags were packed and loaded, and he had plenty of food and water. All that that was left now were the goodbyes.

Alec turned to Isabelle and pulled her in for a tight hug. “I'll miss you,” he said when he pulled back. “I'll miss you a lot.”

“I'll miss you too, Alec. Take care of yourself and write home as often as you can.”

“I will, Izzy. I will.” He hugged her one last time before turning to Jace.

“Don't get into trouble while I'm gone,” he said with a grin.

“I'm not making any promises,” Jace replied, pulling Alec in for a hug too.

“I'll be back soon,” Alec promised. “And I'll miss you every day.” He pulled back to look at them, at his wonderful, amazing, annoying siblings. “Both of you.”

“We'll miss you too,” Jace said.

“Now get on that horse, Magnus is waiting for you,” Izzy ordered.

“Yeah, yeah. I'm going,” Alec said, getting up on Shadowhunter. “Don't die while I'm gone,” he said with a smile and waved before he set Shadowhunter into a trot. He made his way through the streets, some people waved, some glared. Everyone had heard about what happened at the wedding.

Alec kept a steady pace on Shadowhunter till he was outside the city walls, then he broke into a gallop. This was it, he was finally gonna be with Magnus. Freely. Without his father judging them or anyone telling them to stop. Just him and Magnus.

He had to ride for almost ten minutes before he could see the woods. He spotted Magnus after a few more minutes, and made his way to him as quickly as possible.        

  

* * *

 

Magnus was so bored, he had been moving around in the small spot and looked at everything, every plant, every stone, _everything_! Just so he had something to do. He was hungry as well. But at least he didn’t have a problem about not having a toilet out there. The woods were one huge toilet so that was fine. When he finally saw Alec he smiled and waved at him.

“Hey,” he grinned when Alec was close enough.

“Hi,” Alec said, stopping in front of him. “Are you okay? You didn't have any difficulties I hope,” he said as he dismounted Shadowhunter.

“Other than dying of boredom and starving, no. I'm fine,” he said and still smiled at Alec, nothing could cloud his happiness about being with him.

“Starv- oh, you didn’t have anything to eat yet, did you?” he asked and moved to the side of shadowhunter to look through one of the bags.

“I brought, well stole actually, some apples and carrots. But Jem needed them more than me so I gave them to him instead.” Magnus acceptedit gladly when Alec handed him a loaf of bread and a bottle of water.

“Are you ready to start this journey?” Alec asked. “It might be a while before we come back.”

“If you let me finish this first, then yes, I’ll be ready,” Magnus nodded and started to eat.

“Good. I have something for you.” Alec turned and rummaged through one of the bags, taking out the belt with the sword and the dagger. “I thought you could use some weapons too. You're excellent with the sword, and the dagger… it was mine when I was a child, I felt like I had to bring it.” Alec handed Magnus the belt, and Magnus strapped it around his waist after he looked at it closely. The weapons looked beautiful, very well made as well, but that was to be expected from royal weapons.

“Thank you. It’s a beautiful dagger, thank you for allowing me to use it,” Magnus smiled and then quickly finished eating before he sat up on Jem again and waited for Alec. “Let’s get going”

“Yeah, let's go,” Alec said with a smile. This was the start of their adventure, their relationship.

Alec was leading the way through the woods, showing Magnus where to go. “Oh, I also stopped by Luke and he gave me some clothes for you and three books. Well, two book and your diary. I’ll give it to you when we're having out first break, or this evening if you prefer, when we are preparing the tent and stuff.”

“My diary?” Magnus asked. He didn't have a diary, he had a journal. But he could do just fine without it, and Luke wouldn't send unnecessary stuff.

“Yes. Don't worry, I didn't read it. Luke was very warning on that, but I wouldn't do it anyway. I won't invade your privacy like that.”

“Oh. Thank you, Alec.” Luke wouldn't send unnecessary stuff, so this diary had to be necessary. And what would be necessary and helpful? His book about Magic! Luke had probably rebound it and told Alec it was his diary. Luke always had some great solutions to things, and the book would be really helpful.

“And yes, I’d like to have it when we are preparing our place for the night. Did you bring something to make a tent?”

“Yes, of course. A tent, sleeping bags, lots of clean water, and something to start a fire with. We'll try to avoid sleeping out in the woods though, we'll stay mostly at taverns. But it takes more than a day to cross this, so we'll have to sleep out at least tonight,” Alec explained. They moved through the woods together, and Magnus was happy. Despite having to leave what he considered his home now, he was happy. Because he was with Alec.

“Oh and by the way, Luke told me to be good to you and not hurt you,” Alec said with a wide grin.

“Yeah? Why would he do that?”

“Because he’s like your father… a real and good father in his case, he cares about you”

“Yeah, I understand that, I mean why would he think you could hurt me?” Magnus grinned. He was actually very touched by Luke's concern about his happiness. It showed him again how much Luke cared about him and that the feeling of being a family was mutual. It made Magnus feel really good.

“I don’t know. Maybe because Jace is my brother?” Alec suggested. “But honestly, I think that’s just something parents do and I am happy that you have a father figure like him. It makes your life easier, especially since Luke is a great role model as well.”

“Yes he is. I do look up to him. And I learned a lot from him in the short time I lived in Idris.”

 

* * *

 

They rode for a few hours, till they started getting hungry. They found a nice place to stop and have a small picnic. Alec had brought more than enough food for them, and they enjoyed a lunch together under the shadow of a big tree.

“Alec, about the taverns… I didn’t bring or don’t have money, and I... You can’t pay for both of us all the time, so maybe it’s easier and definitely cheaper to sleep in a tent most of the time. I mean if you, as the prince, would prefer to sleep in a tavern I’d understand but… I can’t take so much money for sleeping in a tavern when it’s fine to sleep in a tent.”

“Don't be ridiculous, Magnus. I have plenty of money, and if I just pay for one room we can sleep on the same bed. You won't be taking money, you'll be doing me a favor by sleeping by my side. I always sleep better when you're there with me.”

“It still feels like I'm taking your money,” Magnus said.

“I know how you can pay me back for it if you absolutely want to.”

“How?” Magnus asked.

“You can kiss me,” Alec said with a cheeky grin.

“Oh I want to kiss you all the time, Alec.” he chuckled and leaned over to press his lips against Alec's.

“See? Now you've paid me for the first tavern we sleep in.” Alec kissed him again. “And now you've paid me for two.”

“Should I feel like a prostitute now? I mean you are paying me to kiss you?” Magnus teased.

“What?! No, no Magnus. You.. no,” Alec chuckled and shook his head.

“I know how you meant it, I was just joking,” Magnus grinned and kissed Alec again. “That's three,” he whispered against his lips, smirking. They joked around for a while, as the ate and talked a bit more about where they had to go.

“Are you scared? Because I am, a bit. I mean I'm also excited and happy but… we're alone and we are preparing you for your fight with Lilith and all those things,” Magnus said after a few minutes of silence.

“I am. There's all this responsibility, all these expectations. I mean, people are waiting for me to kill the queen of hell! It's a lot, and it's terrifying. I'm glad I have you,” Alec said, pulling Magnus closer to him.

“I will always be there and have your back. Tomorrow we will start training again, but today, tonight, we'll just be together and enjoy the time, enjoy that there is no one threatening us in this moment.”

“Yeah. I'm sure soon enough there'll be something or someone trying to kill me again. But when that happens, we'll find a way out of it.” Magnus nodded.

“We will,” he agreed.

 

* * *

 

They rode for a few more hours, keeping up a slow canter as to not exhaust the horses, they had a long way to go after all. They stopped every few hours to give the horses some food and water, and to eat some themselves, but other than that they kept a steady pace. When the sun began to set, they decided to prepare their place for the night. Alec collected some wood for the fire while Magnus build the tent for them. He had done that rather often on his way to Idris so he was done rather quickly and then helped Alec with the fire.

If Alec hadn't been around he would just have said a word and gotten the wood burning, but Alec was there so they had to do it the normal way.

“Would you mind giving me my diary, now?” he asked once the fire was burning and the horses were fed and bound to a tree.

“Yes, of course. Luke packed you an entire bag, clothes too. I'll give it to you.”Alec moved to where they had placed the bags and picked up two bags. Magnus wondered what the other one might be. Alec handed both to Magnus. “The other one is full of potions and salves and stuff. Luke gave it to me in case something happens, but you know how to use that stuff better than me, so you take it,” Alec said. Magnus accepted both the bags and looked inside the biggest one. It was full of clothes, and three books. The novel he was reading, he was very glad Luke had put that in there, he had to find out what was going to happen. A book about Edom, it was just the myths he'd read thousands of times, but it could come in handy. And what appeared to be a small book bound in boring leather. Magnus picked it out of the bag and opened it on a random page. He was right, it was the magic book.

It was kinda sad that Luke had to take off the beautiful bind it'd had before, but maybe they could put it back on one day, if Luke didn't burn it to make sure no one would find it. He hoped he hadn't, but he would understand if he had. Magnus flicked through the pages and looked for a ward, he’d have to stay awake and wait for Alec to fall asleep but he wanted to protect them. The queen of hell wanted to kill Alec, but there were also wild animals and thieves in the woods.Magnus just had to go the extra mile to protect them.

He found the page about wards, marked it with a leaf because people who bend pages in books are monsters, and put it away for when Alec was asleep.

“Did you bring anything that we have to cook? Or are we going to eat bread again?” he asked and looked at Alec who was standing next to the fire.

“I brought some smoked pork, it should last for about a week so we don't have to eat it today. Unless you're tired of bread.”

“I wouldn't mind some pork, but maybe we can save it for later. How much is it?”

“It's enough for one dinner,” Alec said.

“We could eat half of it and save the rest for another day” suggested Magnus.

“Okay, let's do that,” Alec agreed, moving to get the meat.

They prepared it together, almost let it catch on fire because they got distracted with looking at each other, but in the end it turned out perfect. They ate it along with some bread and drank water around the fire, shoulders touching and enjoying each other's company. It was really nice and Magnus wished he could tell Alec the truth about his magic, maybe he could even show him something one day. If Alec knew he would use his magic to make patterns and forms with the flickering flames. He'd done that back home, when Luke was out or in another room he would sit down in front of the fireplace and turn the flames into all kind of things. Flowers, animals, people, everything. Luke always told him to stop when he saw him doing that, he never knew when anyone could come bursting in and see him.

Magnus wished he could do that, put up a show for Alec. He could use his own magic too, he'd started to get even better control of the balls he made, and he could mold and shape them as he wished. Sometimes at night, when he couldn't sleep, he would let sparks fly through his room, make star constellations on the ceiling, play out a scene from a book with small, human formed shapes, or anything else to make him sleepy.

He couldn't do that now. He didn't think Alec would turn him in for using magic, he _knew_ Alec wouldn't do that. But it could make Alec lose trust in him. And he'd just gotten him, he didn't want to lose him.

“Magnus? Where are you with your thoughts?” Alec's voice came through.

“Hm?”

“Where are you with your thoughts, love?” Magnus was about to answer, but then Alec said that.

“Did you just call me…Love?”

“Um, yeah. Do you not like it? I can just call you Magnus if you want, I just thought it would be nice…”

“I love it, Alexander.”

“Good, because it felt nice to call you that. It was easy to say it,” Alec smiled and leaned over to kiss Magnus. “Now tell me what you were thinking about.”

“I was just thinking about how happy I am, with you here.”  Alec smiled.

“It's incredible, isn't it? Just two days ago I was ready to marry a girl I would never love, and now I'm here. With the love of my life.” Alec leant down to kiss him, and Magnus smiled into the kiss.

“You owe me about twenty taverns now.” Alec kissed him again.

“Make that twenty one.”

“By the end of this trip you’ll owe me more nights in a taverne then there are nights in our lifetime,” Magnus chuckled.

“I wouldn't mind that. I could buy you something else.”

“If you buy me something for every time we kiss I'll be spoiled rotten and you will be broke.”

“As long as you're happy, I don't care.”

“How about this, for every time I kiss you, you have to kiss me,” Magnus suggested, he knew it was terribly cheesy but he wanted to be cheesy with Alec, he wanted them to have these moments.

“We’ll never stop kissing.”

“I wouldn't mind.” Magnus kissed him again, letting a hand travel up to Alec's hair to hold him in place. “Now you have to kiss me,” he said when he pulled back. Alec complied immediately.

“Hey erm… do we need to talk about this?” Alec asked when they broke apart again. “About what we are doing and not doing or about the things we might do in the future?”

“Things like what?” Magnus asked.

“Well, Izzy told me a lot about what to do with a woman, what to do with Lydia once we were married… So- so I've been thinking, no, wondering if we would do something like that?”

“Oh… Well, I would want to, I mean not right now, that would be too rushed but… as a general idea I would like to have sex with you, if you want that?”

“Yeah...Yeah I do… I mean, yes I want that, too but I agree. We should wait a bit and maybe talk more? I mean… It’s not that easy between two men, is it?”

“I don't know… I'm sure we'll figure out how… but until then, this is more than enough,” Magnus smiled, kissing Alec again.

“Yes it is,” Alec agreed and kissed him. “Hey, what do you say we go to sleep?” He suggested. Magnus nodded.

“Yeah, let's sleep.” He would have to stay awake till Alec fell asleep so he could set up the wards, but that wouldn't be a problem. “Come on,” he said, taking Alec's hand and leading him into the tent.

“We could combine our sleeping bags” suggested Magnus. “That way we can cuddle.” Alec smiled softly.

“Excellent idea,” he said. They spent five minutes doing that before stripping out of their clothes and cuddling against each other for warmth.    

“Sleep Alexander, I am here, now sleep” he whispered and caressed Alecs back as he held him close against himself. “Close your eyes and dream of something nice, dream of us, how you are going to win over Lilith and how you and I will live together”

“That is very nice. I hope you will be in my dreams,” Alec mumbled, his eyes already dropping shut. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, and as soon as Magnus was sure he wouldn’t wake up he untangled himself from him, missing the warmth after just a few seconds.

He moved silently through the tent to where he'd left the book and opened it on the marked page. He read through it quickly before putting the book aside and preparing to cast the spell. He could feel the glamour disappear from his eyes, as it always did when he used magic. Small sparks flew around his hands as he started mumbling the words to the spell lowly so he didn't wake Alec up. It didn’t him very long till the spell was finished and he could feel something appear around them, like an invisible shield. Magnus smiled, he was proud of himself for being able to do that. After that he went back to their sleeping bags and cuddled against Alec before sleep took him away.


	14. Dumort

There were no bells to wake them up out in the woods, so by the time Magnus stood up the sun was already standing tall. Alec had his head on his chest and both arms wrapped around him, so there wasn't any way for Magnus to get away without risking to wake him up. Not that Magnus wanted to move, he was more than happy right there.

He looked down at Alec, his boyfriend. His actual boyfriend, his lover. He was cute like that, sleeping and clining to Magnus like a koala. Magnus hummed and stroked his fingers through Alecs hair, it was so soft. He could do that every morning from now on, or every evening. All the time actually, and Magnus couldn’t begin to describe how good that felt.

He played softly with Alec's hair till Alec started moving, and then eventually opened his eyes. “Good morning,” Alec mumbled, turning his head to kiss Magnus's chest lightly. Magnus smiled at the soft touch, butterflies flapping around in his stomach as they so often did when Alec was around.

“Good morning,” he answered. “Did you sleep well?” Magnus asked.

“Perfect. I've never slept this peacefully, and we're in a forest so that says something.”

“I take that as a compliment, so thank you.”

“It was a compliment. I sleep better around you than anywhere else. No matter where we are. It almost feels like there's some wall protecting us from the outside world.”

“Huh. Me too,” Magnus said, trying to ignore the fact that apparently Alec could feel his wards. Could he feel his other magic too? Did he know? Magnus wondered when he should tell Alec about this. He knew he had to tell him eventually.

“You have a very calming presence, Magnus,” Alec hummed.

“Only when I'm actually calm. I can be very… upsetting when I'm mad. I kinda take it out on everyone.”

“Really? I've never noticed you do that. Not that I've seen you mad that many times, but…”

“It's not really on purpose. You know, sometimes it just gets too much and I just kind of explode.” Magnus meant that literally, of course. He'd blown up a cup once when he got mad. It hadn't been on purpose, and he'd felt awful for it after, but it had just felt so relieving at the time to just get everything out. “Or… after our fight, I locked myself up in my room for the entire week and I refused to eat and talk and everything. I took my anger and sadness out on Luke,” he said.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know… I’m sorry for hurting you like that Magnus.”

“No, Alec I… I kind of understand it actually. It doesn’t mean that it hurt any less, but I am not mad at you. Not anymore,” he said. “Let’s just forget that it ever happened, let's focus on the future.”

“Yeah. I get a feeling it has something big planned for us.”

“That is for sure, Alexander,” Magnus mumbled, running a hand through Alec's hair again.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes before Magnus sighed. “Alright, let’s keep moving,” he said and kissed Alec before he crawled out of the sleeping bag.

“Yeah, you're right. We still have a long way till Dumort, I’ve sent a letter already so they should be expecting us.”

“Come on, let's eat breakfast and feed the horses too,” Magnus said, taking Alec's hand to pull him with him.

“We should at least get dressed first,” Alec protested.

“Why? We have underwear on, it's not like we're naked. And there's no one out here, we're in the middle of the woods! And it's warm outside.”

“Fine, fine. You're right” Alec chuckled.

“It also gives me more time to stare at you,” Magnus said, grinning as Alec blushed.

They ate a simple breakfast and fed the horses some carrots and apples. They found a little stream of water where they refilled their bottles and let the horses drink. Then they got dressed, packed everything, geared up the horses, and set on their way through the woods again. Their first destination was a day away, without any delays they would be in Kingdom Dumort by sunset. Which fitted well, cause Dumort was known for being the night kingdom. It was weird, but most people there preferred to be out by night and sleep all day. From what Izzy told him that was one of the things that had caused the argument five years ago.

The leadership of this kingdom was confusing too. They had a king, which Alec had told him was named Raphael. But they also had a woman who came by from time to time and ruled the whole thing, like a temporary queen, almost. Her name was Camille, if Magnus remembered correctly. He shook his head, discarding the thoughts.

“So, why are we going to Durmont first?” Magnus asked after a little while.

“Because it's the closest kingdom and Izzy and I thought it would be the best to go to the closest ones earlier and then move further away.”

“Hm… yeah, that makes sense actually,” Magnus nodded. He made Jem move a bit faster so he could catch up with Alec. Magnus tended to get lost in their surroundings and then get behind, at first Alec had stopped but now he seemed to be used to it and it didn’t bother him too much.

“What are we gonna do when we've been to all the kingdoms? What if I still can't go home after that?” Magnus asked.

“Then we'll go to all the kingdoms again. I'm not returning to Idris without you, Magnus.”

“But what about your siblings? Won't you miss them?”

“Of course, but I can write them and they can leave Idris if they want to so we could meet from time to time.”

“Oh, that makes sense, of course.”

“But I also hope that once I’ve succeeded in killing Lilith, that my father will then accept me and you by my side,” he said.

“The prophecy says you will kill Lilith and save the shadow world. The shadow world is full of magic; vampires, werewolves, just magic. Your father hates all of that. I'm not saying he won't accept you, I'm just saying… you're destined to fight for what he's been trying to put an end to.” Alec sighed.

“Good point. I guess I'll just have to hope he comes to terms with it.”

“Sometimes hoping is all you can do.”

“Yeah. But I wish I could do more, actually feel like I'm doing something.”

“You can't change what your father thinks, Alexander. But for now you can change what many kingdoms think of Idris, focus on that.”

“Yeah, let's focus on the things we can do something about. Like the fact that I'm getting thirsty. Hand me the bottle,” Alec said. Magnus unfastened it from where it was strapped to Jem's saddle bag and gave it to Alec.

“Here you go and for the next time, it’s ‘hand me a bottle,  _please,_ ’" Magnus said with a low chuckle. “I thought you were taught some manners, Alexander.”

“Well, you're my servant. You should call me  _sire_ , or  _your highness._ And yet I don't see you doing that.”

“I grew up in a village. My only friends were the sheep. You think I have any manners?” They both laughed and continued their banter as they rode through the woods.

 

* * *

 

They stopped a few times on their way but soon they came closer to the kingdom Dumort, there were more and more houses, not only fields. Most of the fields were empty so they knew they were in the right kingdom. “It is a bit spooky, you know. That no one is out on the field during the day, don’t you think?” Alec asked. He felt uneasy but he knew it would be fine eventually.

“Yeah. I can imagine it'll be even creepier at night when it gets full of people. They'll look like ghosts or something... How long do we have to stay here?” Magnus asked.

“Well, our meeting with the king is scheduled for tomorrow night. I gave us one night extra in case something went wrong.”

“Hm, sounds good. So did you also find a place for us to stay in already?” he asked.

“Yeah, it's a little place close by the castle.”

“Okay, let's get there then, these empty streets are giving me chills.” Alec nodded and showed the way to the tavern.  _Blood hotel_ it said in big, red letters outside the tavern.

“That's not at all creepy,” Magnus mumbled. Alec agreed with him silently.

“Let's just go in. I'll go pay for our stay and two places in the stable, will you stay here with Shadowhunter and Jem?” Magnus nodded, they got off the horses, Magnus took the reins and Alec went inside.

It was even creepier inside. There were no windows, the chairs and tables were all empty despite it being happy hour, and the woman at the reception looked like she was about to kill him. Alec put a fake smile on his face and approached her.

“Welcome to the blood hotel, how many I help you?” The woman said, not even looking up.

“Hello, I’m Prince Alexander from Idris. I have a meeting with your king tomorrow night and I’d like to book a room for two and two places at the stables, please”

“Twin room or double room?” The woman asked, looking up for once.

“Double room.”

“How many nights?”

“Two.” The woman wrote down something on a piece of paper before turning to him.

“That'll be 15 golden coins, here's your key,” she handed him a big, heavy brass key. Alec took the key and handed her the money. “We don't serve food,” she said before he could leave. “Food can only be bought at the little market by the edge of the city.” Alec frowned. What kind of tavern didn't serve food? And shouldn't food be easy to get? In Idris there were markets in pretty much every street.

Alec shook his head and went outside to Magnus. “Come on,” he said. “Let's get them in the stables.” He took Shadowhunter's reins and lead him to the empty stables. Magnus followed him and they both got their horses ready for the stay.

“Alec… Have you been here before?” he asked. “Or anyone you know?”

“No. This place is really creepy. They don't even serve food here.”

“What?” Magnus exclaimed. “What kind of tavern doesn't serve food?”

“The ones in Dumort, apparently. Let's get inside and sleep now. I'm exhausted, and maybe that way I won't be creeped out so much.”

“Sounds great.” They made their way inside again, the woman paid them no mind. Once they were upstairs Alec looked hesitantly at all the doors. Which one was theirs? He looked at the key to see if it said anything and found a number written on it. Five. Fifth door.

Magnus moved closer to Alec and took his hand. “I’m sorry but this is just really creepy and I hope we can get away as soon as possible.”

“Me too,” Alec said, squeezing Magnus's hand. The key fit right into the keyhole and the door opened with no difficulties. Alec opened the door and then let Magnus in first.

In a strange way the room was beautiful, still no windows but a huge bed, black satin and red velvet everywhere. The walls were painted in a dark brown and the bed was made from a very dark wood and appeared almost black.

“Wow… erm, yeah. Well this is our bed for the next two days,” Alec said.

“Well, it's spacious at least. It's not too bad, except the fact that there's no windows. What do these people have against windows?!”

“You know what, let's think about that tomorrow. Now I just wanna sleep,” Alec said. Magnus agreed with Alec, and they placed their bags by the door before locking it and stripping down to their underwear as they got into bed together.

“Good night,” Alec said, placing his head on Magnus's shoulder.

“Good night,” Magnus responded, running a hand though Alec's hair. As they had done the night before, they drifted off to sleep quickly, safe in each other's arms.

 

* * *

 

Magnus had no idea what time it was when he woke up, and the lack of window started bothering him even more. It could be in the middle of the night, it could be past midday, or barely any minutes and passed, and Magnus couldn't know because he had no damn window.

Magnus looked down at Alec. He would never get tired of this view. He wanted to wake up to this forever, and wanted to be able to run his hand though Alec’s hair every day, all the time.

About ten minutes later Alec woke up, and Magnus greeted him good morning with a kiss. They spent almost an hour in bed, talking and kissing and cuddling before hunger drove them out of it. They ate a small breakfast, they wanted to spare their food because apparently they wouldn't be getting much here.

“We should go out,” Magnus suggested after they'd eaten. “See what time it is and check on Shadowhunter and Jem.” Alec agreed with him.

“Yeah. Let’s do that, these windowless rooms are making me feel weird,” Alec agreed and reached for his clothes.

Soon enough they were walking out of their room into the, unsurprisingly, empty hall. The same woman was downstairs at the reception, and Alec wondered for a second if she ever slept.

Alec and Magnus stepped outside and both sighed when the sun warmed up their skin. They hadn't been away from it that long, but sleeping in a room with no windows really made them long for the sun.

There wasn't a single soul out in the streets. Not one person. No one. Empty. It was like the whole damn kingdom was allergic to sunlight.

“Judging from the sun it’s about ten o'clock,” Alec said, pulling Magnus out of his thoughts. “That means we have fourteen hours to waste.”

“In this abandoned place. That's gonna be fun, huh?”

“It's gonna be awful.”

“Yeah.”

“Let's feed the horses and go back to bed.”

“Sounds like an excellent plan.”

 

* * *

 

They did spend the whole day in bed, and only left it to go to the bathroom. Alec would do anything to be able to do this every day. To just stay in bed with Magnus, to not do anything at all and be close to his boyfriend

They'd kissed and talked, and just held each other close. They'd gotten heated a few times, tongues dancing around each other and hands exploring uncovered skin. But they'd stopped before they got too carried away. They still didn't know exactly how it worked between the two of them, and both of them agreed that they probably weren't ready yet.

Unlike Idris, Dumort didn't have a clock tower. And without windows they had to rely on instinct about what time it was. Alec was sure he'd seen a clock down in the lobby, but he honestly didn't want to get out of bed. Ever.

But after a while Alec felt like it was getting late, and he couldn't risk missing the meeting with Raphael.

“We should get dressed,” he said to Magnus. “I have no idea what time it is, but I'm sure the sun has set. Or is setting right now.” Alec moved to get out of the bed, but Magnus put his hands around his waist and pulled him back in.

“Just a little bit more,” he begged, looking at Alec with those adorable puppy eyes and snuggling into his chest. And how was Alec supposed to say no to that?

“Fine,” he sighed. “Just a little bit more.”

 

* * *

 

A little bit more turned out to be over half an hour. Not that Alec would ever complain. They got out eventually, and that was all that mattered. They got dressed, Magnus in his normal clothes and Alec in his tunic and Lightwood cape. After some insisting from Magnus he put the crown on too. Alec had brought it to use it, of course. But it just didn't feel right to have it on. It didn't feel like he deserved it. But Magnus had told him it looked good on him, and had wanted Alec to wear it, so he did.

Alec also strapped the belt with the soulsword around his waist, and he made Magnus bring the dagger. It wasn't right for a servant to be armed, but the dagger was subtle, and since they were traveling it would be accepted. An entire sword though… Alec didn't know how the knights and other people in the castle would react to that, and he didn't want to find out. So he slid the scabbard of the sword off the belt and gave the belt to Magnus so he could fasten it around his waist. When they were both done they headed downstairs.

The tavern was now fully packed. There wasn't a single available chair. It was definitely night.

No one was eating anything, but they all seemed to be drinking a weird, red substance. Maybe wine, or some kind of red beer?

“Alexander, is it just me or does it look like they're drinking blood?” Magnus whispered beside him.

“Of course they're not drinking blood,” Alec said, discarding the thought immediately. Yeah, it was a weird, dark red liquid, but that didn't automatically make it blood. “Just because no one here goes out in the sun, no food is served at the taverns, and there are no windows doesn't mean the whole kingdom is full of vampires or anything. Vampires barely exist anymore, there can't be an entire kingdom of them without anyone noticing.” In Idris, if someone suspected you were a vampire you would be tied to a stake in a market a few hours before sunrise. If you caught on fire you were a vampire and would die, if not you would be released by midday and the people who suspected you would be punished with a fine.

Idris had killed most of its vampires in the first few years after the war like that.

Alec tried to ignore all the people and looked over at the clock in the corner. They were going to meet Raphael at midnight. In half an hour.

“Let's get out of here,” Alec said, taking Magnus's hand. Magnus squeezed his hand and followed close to him, their shoulders touching. It was chilly outside, and the moon was standing tall in the sky. It was almost full, Alec was sure they would get a full moon one of the next few days.

They walked together through the now busy streets, Magnus's hand warm in his. Alec kept getting surprised over how Magnus was always so warm. He could swear he literally never got cold. He didn't mind though, not at all. It made him excellent to cuddle with, especially on cold nights. And it kept Alec's hand warm as they made their way to the castle.

They were stopped by the guards outside the can castle. “State your business,” one of them said.

“I am prince Alexander Lightwood of Idris. I'm here to speak with your king.”

“And who is that?” The other guard asked, nodding towards Magnus. Magnus was about to speak, but Alec beat him to it.

“Magnus Bane. My servant,” he said. The guards nodded and let them pass.

“King Raphael will be waiting for you in the throne room. Right down the hall.”Alec nodded and thanked them, and then followed the red rug on the floor, straight down the corridor like the guards had said.

“Why did you interrupt me back there? I'm capable of introducing myself,” Magnus said after a little while of silence.

“I know, Magnus. But it's formalities, a servant shouldn't speak unless they are spoken to. And that guard asked  _me_ who you were. I know it's stupid, but those are the rules.”

“So I'm not supposed to talk at all.”

“Unless someone speaks directly to you, no.”

“I'll keep my mouth shut then.” They walked the rest of the way in silence, and Alec noticed yet again the lack of windows.

At the end of the corridor there was a big door made from dark wood. There were two guards at the door here too. “State your business,” they said again, just like the ones outside.

“I am Alexander Lightwood, prince of Idris. This is my servant, Magnus Bane. I have come to speak to your king.” Once again the guards nodded and opened the doors, letting them both past.

Inside the room was dark, and a red rug showed the way up to where a throne was standing tall, and a pale man sitting in it. The king stood up and both of them bowed to each other.

“Alexander Lightwood,” the king said.

“Raphael Santiago,” Alec replied.

“Let's move to somewhere else. Here is not a fitting place to discuss anything,” Raphael moved down from the podium the throne was standing on and Alec followed him as he left the room. They made their way through windowless corridors until they arrived at a room with a big table and many chairs around. Probably the room all the meetings were held in in this kingdom.

“Take a seat,” Raphael said, sitting down himself. “I understand that you're here on behalf of your father to discuss the peace between our two kingdoms”

“Yes, I am. And I want to assure you that we do hold on tight to every contract we make, the break in the last one with the… was a one time only excuse. Because some feelings got in the way,” he said, even before he sat down. He gestured for Magnus to take a seat next to him and then focused back on Raphael. Raphael looked intently between the two of them before smirking lightly to himself.

“I see,” he said, nodding. “You seem like a trustworthy prince. The biggest problem between our kingdoms is your father. After the scandal five years ago there have been no contact between the kingdoms.”

“That's what I'm here to change. Dumort is a powerful kingdom, and should a war come we would like to have you on our side. We will, of course, support you too, if we come to an agreement. We will not back down from the contact without discussing it with you and coming to a new agreement,” Alec said.

 

* * *

 

Magnus had zoned out after a while. It was mostly just Alec and Raphael discussing, and it got almost tiring after a few minutes. He heard their voices, but he didn't register what they said as he drifted away with his thoughts.

He found himself thinking about the future. His future. With Alec. Would it work out for them? He wanted to believe that it would, but there was no guarantee. If they ever ended, broke up, what would Magnus do? Would he stay as Alec’s servant? Probably not. He would probably leave, he wouldn't be able to hold the pain. He hoped that would never happen.

Magnus was shook out of his thoughts when the door slammed, and he looked behind him to see a woman come into the room.

“Camille,” Raphael said, disdain in his voice. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t a queen be part of the discussions of her kingdom?” the woman said, a sweet, seductive voice. Magnus disliked her already.

“We’re in the middle of a meeting. You’re interrupting,” Raphael said. “Is there anything you need?” Camille ignored him and sauntered over to them.

“Three pretty boys all together? It must be my lucky day.”

“Camille, if you're gonna be here, at least be professional,” Raphael said and stood up. “They aren’t here to play games with you.”

“They are in my kingdom, isn't it fair that I get to use them?” Camille was standing very close to Magnus, close enough that she could touch him without even reaching out. Magnus had to fight himself to not flinch away.

“It’s  _my_ kingdom.”

“I simply borrow it to you. And you lead it because I don’t have time for that.”

“How can it be yours if you would rather be out there fooling around than here taking care of it? This is an important matter Alexander and I are discussing, so please leave. Unless you want to join the discussion.” Raphael raised an eyebrow.

“I think I’ll just stay here, enjoying the view.” Raphael looked like he was about to burst, and Alec didn’t look much better. Magnus had started wondering whether it would be rude or not to tell Camille to move away from him. “After all, you three make quite a good one.”

“You’ve made the decision to stay here, then please be quiet or add useful things to the discussion,” Alec requested in a friendly tone before he turned back to Raphael. “Now… where did we stop?” This time as they were back to discussing, Magnus didn’t pay attention again. Not because he was bored, more because the hand on his arm now was very distracting. The way Camille was looking at him made him uncomfortable, and her touch didn’t help at all. He should tell her to stop. But he was just a servant, and she was… whatever she was. He couldn’t risk being rude to her or insult her. He just had to bite his lip and try to ignore it.

Camille took a seat next to him, the chairs much closer than what was necessary. Magnus tried to shift as far away from her as possible in his own chair. Her hand was resting right under his elbow, and it seemed to have stopped. He could deal with that. He avoided her eyes and looked at Alec and Raphael instead. They were discussing money and trades now, and Magnus tried to pay attention. He really did. He didn’t manage to do it, but he tried. That had to count as something. At least it distracted him a bit from Camille, and her again travelling hand.

Magnus had to bite back a yelp when he felt her hand on his thigh. Two heads shot up to look at him, Raphael annoyed and Alec worried. “Are you okay?” Alec asked. Camille’s hand was hidden by the table, but it was traveling up his thigh. He should tell her to stop, he wanted her to stop.

“Yeah... Yeah, I- I’m fine,” he mumbled and tried to move his head into her direction so Alec might understand what she was doing. Alec could tell her to stop.

“Are you sure? You don’t look fine.” Alec looked over at Camille, but her sweet, innocent smile had him looking back at Magnus, frowning. “You look sick. Do you need some air?”

“I... If you could come with me?” Magnus asked.

“Yes, of course.” Alec turned to Raphael. “Will you give us a minute? We’re not used to rooms without windows… the air here is getting hot.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s getting hot,” Camille smirked. Raphael shot her a pointed look.

“Of course, let’s take a small break.”

“Thank you. Erm, could someone please lead us outside?” asked Alec as he stood up and moved towards Magnus. Magnus stood up, shaking Camille’s hand off him. Raphael stood up too, opened the door and yelled a name. Barely a second later a girl appeared. Magnus was amazed by how that worked, how fast she’d come and how she'd heard him. She had probably been passing by.

“Lead these two to the garden,” Raphael said. Then he turned to Alec. “We meet here again in fifteen minutes. Lily will show you the way. Camille, I want to talk to you,” he said.

Alec followed the woman, and Magnus followed Alec. They were led to a garden, big trees and beautiful flowers filling it. They both settled down by a tree.

“Thank you, I... I couldn’t tell her to stop, I wanted to, but I don’t think I’m in a position that allows me to do that,” he mumbled and took Alec's hand.

“What? Tell who to stop?”

“Camille.”

“Camille? What was she doing?”

“She was… touching me. In an uncomfortable way.”

“What?! Magnus, you can  _always_ tell someone to stop if they’re making you uncomfortable, no matter who they are.”

“I didn’t want to interfere with your negotiations, and I'm just a servant, she’s kind of the queen.”

“It doesn’t matter who the hell she is! And the negotiations can wait. You are a person, Magnus. Not a contract, not something people can just use. You and your feelings are valid, so if you’re not comfortable then whoever is making you uncomfortable needs to stop.”

“You’re a prince, it’s easier for you.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can tell her to stop if you want, but I just want you to know that you can always tell people to stop.”

“Thank you," Magnus smiled and leaned in to kiss him gently. “And yes, please tell her to stop. I don’t like her and I..I only want you to touch me like that”

“I’ll never let her touch you again. She won’t even sit besides you,” Alec assured him.

“Thank you, Alexander,” Magnus smiled and kissed Alec quickly.

“Are you ready to go back inside?” Alec asked. Magnus nodded.

“Yeah, lets get this over with.”

 

* * *

 

They were led back inside by Lily, and once again they were back in the room. Camille and Raphael joined them a minute later, Camille looking smug and Raphael like he was wishing to die. Alec immediately glared at Camille, especially when she stepped close to Magnus.

“Don’t you dare touch him,” he told her immediately and stepped between them. Camille faked an innocent look.

“Me? Touch him? What makes you think I would ever do that?” It was almost believable, if it hadn’t been for how happy she looked with herself.

“Camille, if you don’t behave I’m gonna have to make you leave the room,” Raphael said.

“Fine,” Camille said with an exasperated sigh. “I won’t touch the boy.”

“Thank you,” said Alec and sat down again, he made sure Magnus was sitting next to him and far from Camille. “Now, let’s continue,” he said and turned to Raphael with one last glare at Camille.

The rest of the meeting passed relatively quickly, they had written a contract, agreed on trades and peace and support and everything. The contract was signed by both Alec and Raphael, and then Raphael called for a servant to make a replica so Alec could bring one back to Idris so Robert could read and approve.

In the meantime Alec and Raphael talked, finishing their business before parting ways, the contract would be delivered to their room in the tavern later.

“This went rather wel, I’d say,” Alec smiled and stepped closer to Magnus. “I mean, it went a lot better then what happened between my dad and him,” he grinned.

“You are an excellent peacemaker. And you’ll be a great king,” Magnus said.

“Thank you, Magnus.”

“No need to thank me, it’s just the truth.”

“Not if you ask my dad,” Alec said sadly.

“I’m sorry to say this but your dad is an arse.”

“I know. You’re right. But he’s not the only one. There are more people who think like him… I’m scared Idris won’t want me as their king.”

“How could they not want that? When you come home with dozens of peace contracts and trading agreements? They will love you, Alec.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just have hope, Alec. You should too.”

“Yeah, I should. Thank you for helping me do so.” Alec looked at the clock again as they entered the tavern. Four in the morning, it had taken four hours. The tavern wasn’t as full as it had been when they came, but there were still some people there, still drinking that same, weird liquid.

Alec kept his eyes down and walked past the people quickly, up the stairs. He unlocked the door and let Magnus in before going in himself and closing the door behind  them.

“Let’s go to bed,” Alec said. They had spent all day in bed, but these four hours had been exhausting and he wanted to sleep while he could.

 

* * *

 

They slept for hours, much longer than intended. They only woke up when the woman from the reception came up to knock at their door and insist they had to either check out or pay for another night. They’d gotten out of bed and packed their things quickly before walking down the stairs to give the key back.  

“I swear that woman never sleeps,” Magnus said once they were outside. She was there all the time! When they arrived, whenever they went downstairs, now that they left, always.

“Maybe she has a twin,” Alec suggested. “Or maybe there’s three of them.” Magnus chuckled.

“Maybe.”

They got the horses fed and ready, and then mounted them, ready to continue their trip. “Where to now?” Magnus asked as they rode out of the city.

“Red Hook,” Alec said. “We slept for a little longer than anticipated, so we’re gonna have to sleep in the woods again. But we’ll be there tomorrow by midday, probably.”

Magnus nodded, and they broke into a fast canter, he was very glad to leave this city behind, it was just very weird and creepy that nobody was awake during the day and there was no food or something to drink expect this red liquid which looked like blood. Magnus found it very possible that those people would be Vampires, especially since he himself was a warlock, so he knew that there were a lot of supernatural things in this world. Why not Vampires as well? But no matter what, they had these contracts and could now happily leave this city behind and go to the next one, where Magnus expected things to go as smoothly as they did in Dumort.

 

* * *

 

They were halfway through a forest when the sun started setting. Magnus and Alec looked around and it didn’t take them long to find a small clearing where they started setting up their camp. This time Magnus was the one who went looking for wood while Alec made their tent.

Magnus made sure to not lose sight of the clearing as he looked for sticks and fallen branches. There hadn’t been rain in a few days so most of the wood he found was dry. It would be a lot harder if it wasn’t. He also seemed rather lucky because he found a lot of firewood nearby the camp.

Magnus soon had his hands full of wood and was on his way back to the clearing when something caught his eye. Magnus frowned, looking at the small stone. It was mostly covered, almost completely under the dirt. Just a little part of it was peaking out. But what made it so special to Magnus was the fact that it was glowing. Blue.

He’d seen something like that before, what felt like a lifetime ago. In that underwater cave, in the clearing with Alec. There had been an entire cave full of these diamonds, and Alec had been right in his superstition. He’d said they were taking energy from somewhere, and Magnus had felt weaker and weaker the longer he stayed in that cave, it had looked amazing and beautiful but Magnus had felt  he couldn't spend a lot of time in there and so they had left it rather quickly.

Magnus had almost forgotten about it, but seeing this stone had brought the memories back.

Magnus put down the wood he had in his arms and crouched down by the stone, digging it up. It wasn’t big, it could easily fit in his pocket. And Magnus didn’t feel tired and nauseous like he had last time. This was just one small rock. The question was, how had it ended up there? Did these stones just exist as normal stones? And why did they glow when Magnus was nearby? They couldn’t just be ordinary stones, not if they could channel Magnus’s power like that.

Magnus stared at the stone, wondering what to do with it, what to do about this, how to get answers for his questions. After a few minutes he heard Alec yelling for him from the now set up camp. He looked at the stone one more time, put it in his pocket, grabbed the wood, and hurried over to Alec.

“Sorry I took so long,” he said as he laid down the wood in the middle of the clearing. “Let’s get this fire burning.”


	15. Red Hook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a day late, I know. But I had an almost finished chapter yesterday so I decided to just finish it and post it today. I know I promised two chapters, but I've been really busy and also had some writer's block, so I've been having some difficulties. Anyway, everything should be back now, and I should start posting as usual now on Sunday.

Once the fire was burning they both sat down next to the fire and looked into it, both lost in their own thoughts. Magnus still had the stone in his pocket and he wondered when or if he would feel a depowering effect from it. He looked over at Alec, but the other man seemed comfortable with silence so Magnus allowed his thoughts to wander again. Maybe he could write a firemessage to Malcolm? The older warlock might know something about those stones. And he also should ask him how it went with the purifying magic for his blood. So he should definitely send a firemessage to him, maybe once Alec was asleep. Which showed Magnus his next problem. 

He should tell Alec the truth at one point. How were they supposed to have a working relationship when there was this big secret between them? But Magnus was worried, about the way Alec might take it, and if he would trust him after he knew.  _The longer you wait the less he will trust you in the future,_ he thought. He knew that but he also wanted to just enjoy the time with Alec. He had to tell him soon, maybe after they’ve been to Red Hook and had had their talk with the queen there, Maia Roberts. Magnus had heard of her, only good things so far, which was rather a surprise since he usually first heard all the bad things about a kingdom and the head of their regime. He was a bit excited about that kingdom if he was honest, and he was looking forward to it.

After a little while, he looked back at Alec and took his hand. “Hey, what are you thinking about pretty boy?” he asked with a smile.

                        

* * *

 

 

Alec had been lost in thoughts once the fire was burning and they had sat down. He had checked on Magnus to make sure it was okay that they were not talking and then he stared into the flames and thought about the past day. His talk with Raphael and how he was going to have talks like those many times. He wasn’t sure if he actually liked those meetings but he knew they were necessary and he liked the side effect of it. All the time he got to spend with Magnus. Like those moments where they were just sitting close to each other or later when they would go to bed. And he didn’t hate those talks so all in all it was good the way it was.

Of course he missed Izzy and Jace, but he had Magnus and Shadowhunter, those two seemed to understand him even better than his siblings and he was grateful to have them in his life. Alec couldn’t think of a time he felt this happy to just sit next to someone or of a time when he was actually happy. But Magnus made him feel that way. Yes they had had a bit of a troubled start but now they were there, together and happy. Of course Alec knew that things wouldn’t immediately get easier in the future but he hoped for it, hoped that people would accept that Alec was gay and in a relationship with his ‘servant’. Maybe there was something Alec could do to change that title? He might be able to make him a Duke or Lord of something. He liked that idea and just as he was planning on the exact title he would give Magnus when the other one took his hand and pulled ALec out of his thoughts.

"Hm? Sorry what did you say?”

“Hey, what are you thinking pretty boy” Magnus repeated with a chuckled.

“Oh… I was just thinking that I could give you a noble title once I became king, that way people might react differently about us… I mean they will still be irritated since you a guy but… that way there would only be one thing for them to worry about,” he told Magnus with a smile.

“Hm… Sure, if you think that’s important. I mean it’s only a title, right? Nothing in my life would change, would it?” he asked.

Alec only shook his head.

“Okay… well then sure, make me noble once you became king.”

“I love you, you know?” Alec said with a dopey smile. Magnus smiled brightly at him.

“I love you too,” Magnus said and kissed him. They hadn’t said that much lately, and Alec had missed hearing those words from Magnus.

“We should make some food and then go to sleep,” Alec said.

“Yeah, let’s. What’s for dinner today?” Magnus asked.

“Bread. And I saw some apple trees a little back, so we can eat some apples too.”

“Bread and apples. Great,” Magnus sighed. “I hope there’s food in Red Hook. I want some real, warm food.” Alec chuckled as he stood up, pulling Magnus with him too.

“You are getting spoiled,” he mumbled with a smile.

“You’re the one spoiling me,” Magnus retorted and held onto Alec’s hand as he lead him through the woods to where he had seen the apples earlier. They only walked for about five minutes before Magnus spotted it too. A little bit into the woods, a bit hard to see as the only light they had was the almost full moon. But there was an entire zone full of apple trees. Maybe there had been an apple farm there before? Either way, there wasn’t anything there now, and the apples were big and looked good, so what was stopping them from taking them?

“We shouldn’t take too many,” Alec said. “It would be a waste if we don’t eat them all and they rot.”

“Just a few for tonight,” Magnus agreed. “And maybe we can come back tomorrow and get some for the journey.

“Yes, that should be fine.” With that they started taking the apples, Alec taking the ones further up since he was so tall, and Magnus took the ones lower down. They picked about a dozen, some for themselves and some for Jem and Shadowhunter. When they started walking back they had their hands and pockets full of apples.

Magnus fed the horses while Alec got the bread, and a little later they met again by the fire. There were four apples left after Jem and Shadowhunter decided they had had enough, so two left for each of them. Along with some bread, it would be enough until tomorrow.

“This is a bit of a… well, a not so amazing dinner, but I am happy and I feel like it’s more than enough, just because you are here with me.”

“Everything is enough as long as you're here.” Magnus smiled and sat down by Alec's side as they started eating. The bread was starting to get hard, but the apples were fresh and delicious.

It started getting chilly after a little while, even sitting close to the fire. After they finished they retreated to the tent where they cuddled close together for warmth.  

Alec fell asleep quickly, his head on Magnus's chest and his arm over his waist.

 

* * *

 

Magnus had planned to send a firemessage to Malcolm, but as Alec started snoring lightly, his head on Magnus's chest, Magnus couldn't make himself move. He would leave the firemessage for later. For now, he closed his eyes, smiling happily as he ran a hand through Alec's hair until he drifted off.

 

* * *

 

 

The camp had been taken down, everything they'd used was put back in its place and the horses were geared up and loaded, ready to go. All that was missing was Magnus.

He'd gone into the woods saying he had to do something, and although Alec was pretty sure he knew what, Magnus was taking very long. Too long. So after almost ten minutes, Alec stepped away from the clearing to look for him.

“Magnus?” He called out. He wondered how far out Magnus had gone. What if he’d fallen into a hole? Or what if he was stuck? What if he had been attacked by a wild animal? Alec’s brain only supplied him with more and more possibilities, none of which were good in any way. “Magnus, are you here?” he called for him again. Where was he?

“Just give me a minute, Alexander!” He heard someone yell. Where was it coming from? Behind him, somewhere behind him. But Alec was sure he hadn’t seen anything.

“Magnus, where are you?” he shouted. It took almost a minute before he got an answer.

“I’m right here, Alec. Just give me one second and I’ll be ready to go.” Alec followed the voice, trying to find Magnus. Something caught his eye, a flame. Fire? But the flame was so small, it couldn’t be a fire. Before Alec could look properly at it it was gone, and Magnus came out from behind a tree. “Now, shall we go? I’m ready,” he said.

“What were you doing?” Alec asked him, still frowning from the flame he had seen. Had it been his imagination?

“What do you think I was doing?” Magnus replied and walked past him. “Let’s go now, we should make it to Red Hook before sunset.” Alec followed him, they mounted the horses and set on their way. But Alec couldn’t get that flame out of his head. It was impossible, he knew that. It was just there, in the middle of the air, for a second before it was suddenly gone. It wasn’t possible, and yet Alec was sure he had seen it. He wondered if he should ask Magnus what that had been, there was probably an easy explanation to this, or maybe it had just been the sun? Maybe he was starting to get crazy. But for the time being Alec managed to push any thought about that aside and focus on the way they had to ride in order to get to Red Hook.

He was actually rather excited to meet their queen, Maia. He had heard about her from Simon, apparently they were somehow related? Or friends of friends? Alec couldn’t remember. But he remembered all the good things he had heard about her, of course, she had had her bad moments but Alec knew too well that even the best king or queen had moments of weakness or when they were not thinking straight, so he did not judge her at all.

During their journey the two didn't talk much, they stopped once to drink and eat some more apples as well as make sure the horses were alright. It was a comfortable silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts. They spoke a bit about the upcoming talks but other than that they minded their own business.

                 

* * *

 

 

 _Did he see it?_  Magnus wondered. Had Alec seen him send that firemessage? Probably not, he would have asked you or told you. Magnus told himself, he didn’t want Alec to know, or rather, he didn’t want him to find out like that. It just wasn't supposed to be that way. Magnus worried about that the whole time, even when they stopped and sat down to eat and drink, it was always on his mind, even though Alec didn’t say a word about the whole thing, so maybe he really had not seen it. Magnus hoped that this was the case and he started to believe that.

The later it became the closer they got to Red Hook, Alec had told him he had reserved a room at the Hunters Moon, apparently the best tavern in this Kingdom, and luckily only 5 minutes away from the castle. Magnus was actually rather excited about that place, he had heard a lot of stories from Simon, he was a friend of the queen. Magnus loved the story of how they met, she had been traveling and Simon stopped her along the way to help her, but in the end, he was the one who needed her help and she had found that so charming that they became friends and had started to regularly write letters to each other. And Simon just loved to talk so Magnus knew a lot about her and he was so excited to finally meet her, especially since he felt like she would be like an old friend, based on all the things he already knew about her.

As Alec had said, they arrived a little after midday, the sun was standing tall, but on its way down. Magnus couldn't help but smile when he saw the busy streets, finally back to normal. There were people hurrying here and there, children chasing each other and salesmen yelling out their best offers. They even passed a market! It was so different from Dumort, and Magnus felt a bit less homesick.

They arrived at the Hunters Moon after a slow ride through the city. They received some weird stares, but that had to be expected, and otherwise, everything had been great. Magnus put the horses in the stables while Alec went in to get their key. They met again outside the entrance to the tavern.

“Shadowhunter and Jem are all set, the stable boy is taking care of them,” Magnus told Alec. One thing that hadn't existed in Dumort, someone to take care of their horses. Not even food for them had been there.

“Great. I've got the key,” Alec said and held it up. “Shall we go leave our stuff inside before getting some food? Gretel, the receptionist, assured me there was plenty of food here,” Alec told him.

“Perfect. I'm starving.” Magnus took the key out of Alec's hand and walked past him into the tavern. Their tent and other unnecessary baggage stayed in the back of the stable so they wouldn't have to carry it up, so they only brought up clothes, weapons, and money. Stuff they would need, and stuff people would steal. So Magnus only had to carry a small bag, as he'd dropped Alec's at his feet when he took the key.

Alec followed him inside, and they went up the stairs together. “Come on, it's here,” Alec said when he saw that Magnus was unsure of where to go. Unlike in Dumort, here it didn't say what room it was on the key. Gretel had probably told Alec.

Magnus unlocked the door Alec showed him to and then stepped into the room. Sunlight made the room warm and despite it only being a week, Magnus had missed sleeping in a room with proper windows.

Magnus dropped his bag by the door as he looked at the rest of the room. The walls and floor were the same as downstairs, the walls a dark wood and the floor red. Ish. The bed was made from a light wood, and it looked very comfortable. Magnus couldn't wait to use it.

When he finished looking over the room, Magnus turned to Alec. “Let's go eat now, or I'm gonna have to eat you,” he joked as he stepped closer, kissing Alec's jaw lightly before taking his hand.

“Hm, well we can't let that happen. I need to be present at the meeting tomorrow,” Alec said before kissing Magnus's forehead. He locked the door behind them when they left the room and went downstairs to get some food in them.

 

* * *

 

They ate their food happily, steak for both of them. After days of only eating bread and salted meat, it was the best thing Magnus had ever tasted. After they'd eaten they went out to take a stroll through the city, looking at the people and the boots with things for sale. They stopped by the market to buy some food for the night, but they would come by right before they journeyed on to wherever they were going next.

The sun was almost setting by the time they went back to the hotel, and in just a few minutes they were in their underwear getting ready for bed. As they laid down close to each other, Magnus realized again that despite being away from his mother and his new friends and his soon found father figure, he didn’t feel alone. Didn’t feel anything even close to being alone. Yes, he missed them all, but he had Alec. And Alec was his family. “Alexander,” He said softly to get his attention. “You know I love you, right?” Alec turned his head to look at him, a soft smile on his lips.

“Yeah, I do. I love you too,” he said.

 

* * *

 

 

Red Hook was by the sea. Magnus had never seen the sea. He’d seen it in the distance on his way to Idris, but he’d never  _ seen  _ it. Not like this. Not so close that he could smell it and even taste the salt in the air. 

Alec and Magnus were sitting by the docs, watching the seabirds, the fishing boats in the distance, the fish market on the edge of the docs. 

“I’m gonna send a letter,” Alec said suddenly, interrupting the silence between them. “To Izzy and Jace. Do you want to send anything?” He asked. Magnus was about to say no. He could just send firemessages. It was much easier and didn’t cost a cent, and it was so much quicker. But then he thought about it, about how it would probably seem weird for Alec after a while if he never sent anything to anyone. 

“Actually, yes. I would like to send something too.”

“We could post it together, it might be cheaper then,” Alec suggested.

“Yeah. How long do you think it takes for it to get to Idris?” Magnus asked.

“I'm not sure. Probably like two or three days if it's sent on express.”

“How will they answer then? We won't be in Red Hook by the time it arrives there.”

“We can just tell them where we'll be, where to send the reply to.”

“Okay, sounds good. When do you want to do it?”  Alec's only reply was to pull two things out of his pocket. Paper and a pencil. 

“I think I have one more here,” he mumbled, rummaging through his pockets. “Here it is!” Alec pulled one more pencil out of another pocket and gave one of them to Magnus. “Right now. There you go, tell me if you need more paper.” Alec gave Magnus some of the paper too, and then he started to write. 

  
Magnus didn’t know what to write or rather whom to write and so he just stared at the paper and the pencil he was holding. Eventually, he decided to write to Luke.

_ Hey Luke. It's Magnus. I'm not sure what to say to you, I mean, what do you say in a situation like this? I realize I never said goodbye when I left. I was a bit caught up in running away from all the guards. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you I'm doing fine, Alec and I have been to Dumort and now we're in Red Hook. It's really fun, we get to see a lot and do lots of stuff. I'm really happy. Anyway, I just wanted to say that, and I wanted to tell you that I'll be back. It’ll be a while, probably, but I'll be back. Oh, and I wanted to thank you for sending the book with Alec, you know which one I'm talking about. Tell Catarina and Dot hi for me. If you want to reply, send the letter to- _

At this point, Magnus turned to Alec. “Where exactly are we going next?” Alec looked up from what he was writing. 

“The Seelie realm,” Alec replied before going back to his writing.

_ If you want to reply, send a letter to the Seelie realm. I hope you're doing fine and that you're not working too much. _

_ Love, Magnus. _

Magnus read over the letter to make sure everything was okay before folding it in half. “I'm done,” he said and turned to Alec. 

“Just give me a second and I will be too,” Alec mumbled, not even looking up.

Magnus wondered what Alec was writing, he knew that he was writing to his siblings, but what was he writing?

 

* * *

 

_ Dear Izzy, so much is happening. I am so happy. I mean I obviously miss you terribly but I do have Magnus by my side and that’s just amazing. I just have a question for you. You… you've been with a lot of guys, right? Because Magnus and I have talked about… well, sleeping with each other. But we don't know how. I mean we do have ideas but yeah... So I thought maybe you know? And… maybe you could give me some advice on what to do. How to do it. You taught me a lot with Lydia, but this is Magnus. It's different because he is a man too. Anyway, I hope you can help me, I hope you're doing fine, and I love you. _

_ Lots of hugs from Alec. _

_ P.S We will be traveling to the Seelie realm next so please send your answer there. _

Alec felt a bit weird about asking his little sister for advice on that matter, but he felt like she would be the only one to really help him. Jace would only make fun of him or not want to hear a word about that at all. So Izzy was honestly his best shot. He just hoped she would answer him and be able to give him some actual advice on the whole thing, because he really wanted to be… intimate with Magnus.

“Okay, I'm done,” he finally said and looked up from the paper. “Shall we go post this?” 

“Yeah, let's go.” Magnus stood up, and Alec followed his lead. 

“Who did you write to?” Alec asked as they walked hand in hand. 

“Luke,” Magnus said. “I realized I never said goodbye and I just needed to tell him I was okay.”

“Yeah, that makes sense… What about your other friends? Clary, Simon… Dot?” Alec asked quietly.

“I asked Luke to say hi to them for me, but I think Luke needed to hear from me more than any of the others. I mean, he's like my father, he's probably worried out of his mind.”

“He looked very worried, yes. But he seemed to understand and believe that I would look after you.”

“Of course he did. After all, who's better to take care of me than a prince? A strong, loyal, talented, handsome prince.”

Alec chuckled at that and shook his head. Magnus could be so adorable sometimes and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around him and kiss Magnus until they were both out of breath, but they were still in public and it would probably not have been approved. 

Instead, he turned his head to press a small kiss to Magnus's temple. “You're too much,” he mumbled, despite the big smile on his face. 

“Too much is my middle name, Alexander,” Magnus smirked.

“You're impossible.”

“You love me anyway.”

“I do,” Alec said and sighed, squeezing Magnus’s hand.”Now come on, let’s find a post office” he said and pulled Magnus along. 

“I actually think I saw one right down the street,” Magnus said. “You brought money, right? I have some, so I can pay my half,” he told him. He had some money, not enough for a stay at a tavern, but enough to send a letter. Luke had sent his money along with his clothes, something Magnus hadn't noticed until days later, but he certainly appreciated it when he found out.

They found the post office soon, and after a small argument, Alec agreed to let Magnus pay a bit for the letters. After that, they went to the Hunters Moon and had some dinner before they retreated to their room. They both had a bit too much of wine and so they were giggling and kissing as they made their way up. “I think I fell in love with this place, we should come back,” Magnus hummed.

Alec just nodded and gripped the lapels of Magnus’s shirt as he held him close and kissed him again, he kicked the door shut and pushed Magnus towards the bed. Now they were alone and Alec could kiss Magnus as much as he wanted. 

They fell down on the bed together, Magnus somehow ending on top. Alec didn't waste a second as he kissed Magnus again, hands going to his hips. “Magnus,” he mumbled between kisses. “We should stop. We don't know how to continue this.”

“I know how to bring you pleasure. If you want me to, if you let me,” Magnus said, their lips brushing as he spoke.

Alec laid there, panting, as he thought about that. He wanted whatever it was. But he still was unsure and had to think about it. “I... “ he whispered and took several deep breaths. “I… yes. I think I want you to- to let you do… whatever you want,” he decided eventually.

“Are you sure?” Magnus asked, just to be sure. “I'm gonna pleasure you. I'm gonna touch you like I touch myself. Is that okay?”

“Mhm… what did you think about? When you… touched yourself?” Alec asked, despite the situation and his growing erection he was still curious and couldn’t help himself, he had to ask, especially since Magnus’s words created pictures in his mind, pictures of Magnus, how he was lying naked on his bed, touching himself. Alec wanted to know what Magnus was thinking about.

“I thought about you. I imagined it was you, kissing me, touching me.” As he spoke, Magnus worked on Alec's shirt, getting it off quickly. He had to sit back for a moment to just look at Alec. “You're beautiful,” he whispered before leaning down, testing out the waters by kissing Alec's neck.

Alec's heart was racing and he had a hard time controlling his breath, it felt so amazing, but it was so new. He had imagined this before, but his imagination did not come close to this. Alec's hands slowly went under Magnus’s shirt and he trailed his fingers over his abs and chest.

Magnus shuddered at Alec's touch and kissed down his chest. It made Alec feel a lot better about himself that a simple touch from him had the same effect on Magnus as any touch from Magnus had on him.  

Magnus sat up, straddling Alec as he took his own shirt off. He let Alec touch him, run his hands up his chest till his shoulders, where he then pulled him down for a kiss.

“Did you touch yourself? Thinking about me?” Magnus asked once they broke the kiss. 

“Yes, a few times… I thought about something like this,” Alec told him and kissed Magnus again.

“I like that… Tell me what I did and I'll try to make your fantasy become reality,” Magnus smiled. 

“I imagined that you took off my pants, my underwear, and you would touch me. And you would keep kissing me, kissing my mouth, my neck, my chest. Everywhere.” As Alec spoke, Magnus did what he said. Magnus slowly pulled down Alecs pants and then waited a moment, to give Alec some time, he guessed, before he removed his underwear as well. Alec was nervous but also so excited. He had dreamed about this so often, fantasized about how it would feel, how Magnus would look and it was just incredible. When Magnus finally touched Alec with nothing between them, Alec couldn't help but moan. It felt so good when Magnus touched him, and how he kept kissing his neck and collarbone. It was so different then what he had imagined, it was so much better. Alec had his eyes closed and just enjoyed how Magnus’s hand felt on him. How he moved up and down.

“Do you like it like this? Or do you want me to change something?” Magnus whispered, hot breath brushing against Alec's ear. There was nothing he wanted to change, not about the way Magnus was touching him, he only wished Magnus would be wearing fewer clothes.

“This is perfect,” Alec gasped, thrusting up into Magnus's hand. “Don't stop, please.”

“I'm not planning to,” he answered. Alec let himself just feel, for once. Enjoy the pleasure Magnus was giving him. He moaned softly and looked up at Magnus. “This feels so good, Magnus”

Magnus kissed him again as he speeds up the movement of his hand, twisting it every now and then and flicking his thumb over the tip of Alec's cock. 

“Mag- Magnus,” Alec warned after some time.

“It's okay, Alexander. Let go, come for me,” Magnus whispered against Alec's skin. And just a second later he came over Magnus's hand and chest, panting. Alec fell limp on the bed and just stared up at the ceiling as he tried to catch his breath. He'd had orgasms before but this one, with Magnus, must have been the best. “Oh... Oh my god. Magnus that...” he started, but was interrupted by another kiss from Magnus.

“I'm glad you liked it,” Magnus murmured as he pulled back. He rolled off Alec to lay by his side. “I like making you feel good… and this was actually a lot of fun.”

“Erm… are you? I mean, do you... Shall I return that?” Alec asked as he noticed the tent in the front of Magnus's pants. 

“Only if you want to,” Magnus said. 

“I want to,” Alec assured Magnus, pushing himself up on his knees before straddling Magnus's thighs. He pulled Magnus's pants down along with his underwear.

“Wait,” Magnus requested and looked at Alec. “Come back here. There is… one thing I’d like to do,” he said. Alec, who had felt rather bold a moment ago suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore. Why did Magnus tell him to wait? He moved back up before he even had a chance to look at Magnus. 

“Yes?” he asked just as Magnus grabbed a cloth and wiped over his own chest as well as Alec's to quickly clean them both up. 

“Now you can go. I just thought that maybe we shouldn’t stain the sheets” Alec almost laughed in relief. 

“Okay then, I'll get back to it.” Alec moved back to straddle Magnus again, and this time he took his cock into his hand after he allowed himself a moment to just look at Magnus. It was exactly how he had imagined it, after that day at the clearing. When he had seen the outline of Magnus through his wet underpants. It didn't feel very different from touching his own, but at the same time it was completely different. Magnus was so hard under his touch… so smooth. Alec started moving his hand like Magnus had done to him earlier. Alec heard Magnus moan under him, thrust up into his hand. 

“Magnus…” Alec started. “Does this feel good?” Magnus's only reply was a moan, which Alec more than enjoyed. He sped up the movements of his hand, and couldn't take his eyes off Magnus. The way his eyes fluttered shut, his back arched, and he gripped on to the bedsheets. Alec was sure he'd never seen anything more perfect. 

“Alec… Alexander, I'm gonna…” Magnus didn't even get to finish his sentence before his head fell back on the pillow as he came. Alec pumped him through it and leaned back when he was done. Alec reached for the cloth on the bedside table to clean them both up again. He was tempted to pick up some with his finger to taste it but Magnus had not done it so Alec decided not to.

“How do you feel?” He asked once Magnus's breathing calmed down. 

“Wonderful,” Magnus breathed out. Alec smiled as he laid down by Magnus's side again, his head resting on Magnus’s shoulder as he gently trailed his fingers over Magnus’s chest. 

“I'm glad. That was really… magical,” Alec said. It wasn't a word he used so much, since it was often connected with magic, which was illegal. But with Magnus… everything with Magnus felt just like magic. 

Not that Alec knew that much about magic, or how it felt. But he knew that this had made him feel like he could do anything, like he was on top of the world, and he couldn’t wait for Izzy’s reply, with her ideas on what else he and Magnus could do. But for the moment he was just happy and very content with the situation at hand. 

"Mhm. It was. We should do this more often,” Magnus agreed and wrapped an arm around Alec to hold him gently. Suddenly Alec felt rather tired and he closed his eyes.

“We should sleep, Magnus,” he hummed and reached for the duvet with his feet, he didn’t want to move away from the nice position against Magnus’s side so his feet had to do the job until Alec could reach for it with his hand and cover them both. 

“Good night, my prince,” Magnus whispered and soon Alec felt a soft kiss on his head. 

“Night Magnus.” 

 

* * *

 

Alec was gonna meet with Maia at two in the evening. He and Magnus slept till midday, so they didn't have any time to waste. That didn't mean they were in a hurry though, so they ate their breakfast and got dressed slowly, exchanging kisses and soft words at every occasion.

Eventually, they made their way down, and Magnus noticed that there was a different guy at the reception, not the girl that had been there earlier. Just more proof that this was completely different from Dumort.

When the time came, they made their way to the castle. A guard met them by the entrance and after Alec introduced them they were led inside. The castle had the same style as their tavern, it seemed like that was the type of buildings they made here. Magnus found that he quite liked it. 

They were led to a dining room, the table set, and the queen there waiting for them. She gestured for them to sit, and the guard left the room. “Queen Maia,” Alec said with a nod as he sat down. Magnus followed his lead. 

“Prince Alexander, Magnus Bane,” she said, nodding at each of them. “I’m glad to have you here. A negotiation between our kingdoms is long overdue.” 

“I completely agree, which is why I am on this journey,” Alec told her. “Now, there are a few important matters I want to discuss with you, and I’m assuming you have some too.” 

As he had in Dumort, Magnus zoned out of the conversation and looked around himself. The table was set, but there was no food, leaving Magnus wondering if there would be any. Magnus and Alec had only had a small breakfast, and Magnus couldn’t deny that he was getting hungry. 

The room was beautifully decorated. The ceiling was big, and chandeliers lit up the room along with the big windows bathing the room in sunlight. The wall was decorated with paintings, a few landscapes, some people, all colorful and eye-catching. Magnus leaned back in his chair, sighed, and let himself drift into thoughts. Here he could do that, there was no one to touch him and make him feel uncomfortable. Magnus could just enjoy his surroundings and the presence of Alec by his side.

 

* * *

 

Alec found that he liked Maia, a lot. She was nice and smart, and she knew what she wanted and how to get it. It was lovely to negotiate with her, and Alec hoped everyone would be like her. After about ten minutes servants started coming in with trays of food, placing them on the table. “This was really not necessary,” Alec said to Maia as the table was filled.

“Oh, please. It's the least I can do after you traveled so far, and I find that it makes things a lot easier when the people you are working with are filled with food,” she told him as their glasses were filled with wine. “I hope you're hungry,” she said. They continued their discussions as they ate, and the food was delicious. 

It didn't take them long to come to an agreement, and barely an hour later a contract was being written. By the time the food was gone Magnus and Alec were ready to leave, and after saying their goodbyes to Maia they left the castle. 

Alec could see why Simon liked her, and she seemed to rather like him as well since they talked a lot about Simon and their lives once everything about the contract had been settled. At this point, Magnus seemed to wake up as well and he started to talk more. She had insisted that they called each other by their first names, no title or anything, which Alec was more than happy to oblige. And she had already thought of solutions to her problems that would also benefit Idris, something Alec hadn’t been expecting. 

All in all, he was happy. It had been a successful meeting, the food had been wonderful, and he had enjoyed himself. Maybe this prince thing wasn't that bad after all.

 

* * *

 

They didn't leave that day, it was already late and they would have to set a camp only a few hours later, so they decided to stay in the tavern for one more night. They would pack their things the next morning and start their ride to the Seelie realm, a place Magnus was slightly scared off. He heard that the people there were... deceitful, and that they didn't want peace with the other kingdoms, so he worried about his and Alecs safety. He had also heard weird things about Dumort before they went there but something was different about the Seelie Realm. Maybe it was because their queen was a child? Or for their golden tattoos? Magnus didn’t know, but he had a weird feeling in his stomach when they got the horses ready the next morning and started their way. 


	16. The Seelie Realm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, this chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I'm getting back on track and I've been catching up with the writing I have to do, so I think the chapters should go back to normal length soon.

The Seelie Realm was only a day away, and they arrived right after sunset. Alec wasn't exactly sure how the kingdom worked. It was mostly just woods and a big castle in the center. But there was no way everyone lived there. It was a big kingdom, after all. The castle had room for maybe a hundred people by the looks of it, and even if it had room for more it didn’t make sense that everyone would live in the castle. Alec decided that he would treat them like any other place before and that he would not have any prejudices.  

“Well, here we are,” he said as he got off Shadowhunter's back. “The Seelie Realm.” Alec led Shadowhunter by the reins. Magnus followed him, and together they walked out of the woods and into the castle area. The closer they got to it the more Alec felt that this would not be as easy as the other places had been before. 

“Where are we gonna stay?” Magnus asked. “I don't see any buildings here, other than the castle.” 

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Alec told him. “I guess we can sleep in the woods if we don't find anywhere.”

“So you didn’t make reservations here?” Magnus asked.

“I sent a letter. Never got an answer.”

“Erm… but they are expecting us?”

“I sure hope so,” Alec said. “Would be awkward if they didn't.” 

“You say.” They didn't say anything else as they started seeing knights walking towards them. Alec didn’t know if the knights would know who they were but he tried his best to stay calm and smile at them. 

“Who are you and what do you want here?” 

They both turned towards the voice, and before Alec could say anything, Magnus exclaimed, “Meliorn!” Alec turned to look at him.

“You know him?” He asked. 

“Yeah, he was part of the tournament,” Magnus told him. “I… we had a small talk. About Malcolm.”

“Oh.”

“Hello Magnus, what brings you here?” asked Meliorn. 

“Do you not know? Alexander and I are on a mission to make peace offerings with all the most powerful kingdoms.” Magnus told him. 

“I have not heard of that. I will speak to the queen. In the meantime, you should stay here,” Meliron said. 

“Alright, we will stay exactly where we are then and wait for your return” agreed Magnus.

“Good. I'll be back as soon as possible.” With that Meliorn walked past them, headed for the castle. Magnus looked over at Alec. 

“So, I guess we'll just have to wait here,” Alec said.

“Yes… And I think that answers the question if they know about us or not.” sighed Magnus.

“Maybe the queen knows but hasn't told anyone?” Alec suggested. It was improbable, but still. It could be possible. 

“Would that be better or worse, Alexander?” 

“I don't know,” Alec sighed. “Let's just hope we'll figure it out.”

“Yes,” Magnus agreed.

"And you know him? I mean you talked to him at the tournament? I didn’t know.”

“I was trying to figure out something about Malcolm. Meliorn had fought him, so I just wanted to ask a few questions.”

“Right. Of course, well that makes sense.”

“I didn’t think it would be important to you,” Magnus admitted. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I actually think that it just saved our lives.”

“I don't think he would kill us, but it certainly made everything easier.” 

“Yeah,” Alec agreed. “How long do you think it'll take?” He asked Magnus.

“I have no idea, so we can just sit down and relax a bit,” Magnus suggested, and once Alec agreed they sat down and waited for Meliron to return.

* * *

 

 

They sat for almost an hour before Meliorn came back. Magnus stood up immediately. “What did she say?” He asked.

“She has received your letter. You will be staying in a room in the castle and she will speak with you over dinner tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” asked Alec. “Over dinner? Can't it be earlier?” He asked.

“The queen has set her time. Either take it or leave.”

“Thank you for that offer, we will accept it and wait for tomorrow evening”

“Good. I will lead you to your rooms,” Meliorn said. 

“Wait, rooms?” Alec questioned. Surely he'd heard wrong. Or had he? Not everyone knew about them, and the Seelie Realm was cut off from the rest of the world. Would it be wrong of them to ask for a room together? Maybe they should just suck it up for one night, take what was given to them. 

“Yes, rooms. They're right by each other, do not worry.”

“Actually, Meliorn,” Magnus started. “We only need one room. We don't need to waste rooms when we can share.”

“Worry not, we have plenty of room.”

“Let me rephrase that. Meliorn, it would be great if Alec and I could share a room.”

“You are in no place to ask for more than you've already got. You should be happy the queen will speak to you at all. Now, I will show you to your rooms.”

 

* * *

 

They settled down in the rooms, the horses had been left in the stables and they had been led through the palace. Magnus didn’t want to sleep away from Alec, but he understood that he should not press that matter. The queen obviously was a weird and difficult person who had no real interest in seeing them at all so he should better keep quiet and take what she offered them. Magnus also didn’t like the place, it felt insecure and dangerous, even though it looked beautiful and all the people they had met so far were more than handsome. Something was not right there and Magnus just wished they could leave this place soon. After the Seelie Realm they would have a break and just travel for a few weeks, he and Alec would train, prepare him for the fight with Lilith. And they would sleep next to each other and relish in the comfort of knowing that they were not alone. That they were together, but first Magnus had to focus on this, they had to leave the Seelie Realm first, preferably with a contract at hand that secured the peace between Idris and the Seelie Realm. 

Meliorn opened the door and led Magnus into one room before he closed the door and left Magnus alone. “Alright… “ he mumbled and looked at the door. So apparently he wasn’t even allowed to say goodnight to Alec. He sighed and went over to the bed. It was already rather late so he decided to lay down and try to get some sleep.

He wondered if the rooms really were close, like Meliorn had said. Maybe Alec was right on the other side of the wall, thinking about him. He hoped so, hoped Alec was close by. 

He thought about him, imagined he was right by his side as he started drifting off into sleep. He wondered if maybe he should try to stay awake, what if this was all some kind of trap? But after a while tiredness took over, and he couldn't stop it as his eyes drifted shut.

 

* * *

 

Alec was led into a room only two doors away from Magnus. He wanted to at least say goodnight to him, but he didn't dare ask Meliorn about it. It seemed like the queen didn't want them there at all, and the Seelie Realm was a powerful kingdom, so an alliance with them would be great for Idris. He didn't want to start anything bad, he just had to shut his mouth and do as he was told for one day.

The door was closed behind him, and Alec placed his bag on a chair before sitting down on the bed. He was nervous about this, about the talk he would have with the Seelie queen. How was he supposed to discuss and come to agreements with someone that didn't even want to speak to him? Alec just wanted peace and not all those problems, was that really too much to ask for? He sat down on the bed and stared at the wall for a long time before he laid down and closed his eyes. It took him a long time to fall asleep, but eventually exhaustion took over and Alec fell into a deep, dreamless slumber. 

 

* * *

 

When he woke up there was sunlight filling the room. He didn't know what time it was, but he assumed it was around ten. 

Alec stood up almost immediately, changing into new clothes as he had forgotten to change into sleepwear the night before. He quickly got into fresh clothes and then headed to the door. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he was even allowed to leave his room. But Meliorn hadn't said anything about it, so he assumed it was fine. 

He left the room, relieved that the hall outside was empty. He made his way to the room Magnus had been left in and knocked lightly. He knocked again after a minute when he didn't get any answer. One more minute passed before he opened the door, slowly making his way into the room. 

Magnus was on the bed, still sleeping. Alec noticed Magnus was still in the clothes from the day before too. He closed the door and went to sit on the edge of the bed, running a hand through Magnus's hair and watching with a smile as he mumbled something and turned over. Magnus’s hair was so soft, Alec wondered if he would just run his finger through it forever. It was a lovely thought and he liked the idea very much, but he knew he would always have things to do. 

After a while Magnus turned again and slowly opened his eyes, he brought his hands up to rub the sleep out of them and then he looked up at Alec and smiled. 

“Morning,” he mumbled sleepily.

“Morning, how did you sleep?”

“Honestly? Terrible. But it was sleep I guess.” Alec leaned down to peck Magnus's lips.

“We'll sleep together again tonight. We're leaving this place as soon as the meeting is done,” Alec assured him. 

“Great. I missed you by my side. It makes me sleep so much better.”

“Me too. Now come on, get up. Let’s find something to do” 

“What are we allowed to do? I don't want to anger the queen,” Magnus said as he got up.

“I guess we'll ask someone if we see anyone, but they didn't say anything, so that would be their bad.”

“Alec, I feel like we should be really careful here, they don’t seem like they want us here, so… please, let’s not do anything stupid.”

“We won't,” Alec promised him. “Maybe we'll explore the forest or something. I'm sure there's someone we can ask.” Magnus quickly changed out of his clothes while Alec spoke.

“Yes, okay. That sounds like a good plan,” Magnus agreed and nodded.

They left the room once Magnus was dressed and then started looking for someone to help them and tell them what they were allowed to do. Alec didn’t know what it was but he felt unwell and not safe. Magnus must felt the same because he picked up his journal and kept it in his pocket as they moved around, something he hadn’t done before, so Alec guessed that Magnus didn’t trust the Seelies either. 

Alec and Magnus made their way through the halls together, seeing no one. Alec tried to remember the way Meliorn had taken them through the day before, and after some time they found the door that led them outside. 

“Why do you think the queen didn’t tell anyone about our visit?” Magnus asked.

“I don't know,” Alec replied, looking around himself to see if there was anyone there. “Maybe she forgot about it? I mean, she is a child, right?”

“Yeah, right. That’s possible… How can she be a child? I mean… this is a huge kingdom, how can a child rule over it?”

“Well, it's possible. If her parents died and she had no other relatives to do it till she grew up? But usually there is someone, an uncle, a cousin,  _ someone. _ ”

“Maybe she just represents the leadership. I mean, as well as the kingdom is doing surely there must be someone else then a child making the decisions,” Magnus said.

“Possibly. But we are meeting her, so who knows,” Alec sighed. “Come on, let’s go that way.” They walked away from the castle. There was just forest around there, a small part had been cleared out for the castle, but otherwise just forest. They walked around the castle, not wanting to get lost in the forest. 

“There is no one here,” Magnus said after they'd walked around the castle twice. “Either they're all sleeping, or they're in the castle, or they're in the forest. There's no one here.”

“Maybe this is like it was in Dumort? Where everyone was inside during the day?” Alec suggested. 

“I guess that's possible. But Meliorn was outside during the day at the tournament, and no one from Dumort even showed up.”

“Maybe they just prefer not to be outside, I don’t know,” Alec said. Magnus shrugged. 

“I guess,” he said. “Maybe they’re in the woods? The Seelie people love nature, right? Maybe they live there.”

“Yeah that’s possible as well,” Magnus hummed.

* * *

 

 

After their little talk they spent some time looking around before they got back inside and into the room they gave to Magnus. They didn’t do much but soon enough a knight came into the room and told them that it was time for dinner and that the queen would see them now. They both got up and followed him into a huge room. There were flowers and grass everywhere, it was actually beautiful. There was also a throne, which looked liked it was made entirely of a living tree and grass and flowers. On it was a girl, she couldn’t be older than 12, since she was wearing a crown she had to be the queen, so Magnus and Alec bowed to her. 

“My lady, thank you for meeting with us and agreeing to talk about these important matters,” Alec said as he stood straight again. 

“Sit,” was all the queen said, pointing at two stumps acting as chairs in front of a table made of wood. It was made so it looked like it was just the roots of a tree that had raised out of the ground to act as a table, and Magnus wondered for a moment if that was what had happened. He knew it was fully possible, with the right spell. He gave another look to the queen before he sat down.

“There are a few matters I would like to discuss with you, my lady,” Alec said as he sat down. “And I’m sure you have some too. Do you have any adviser that should be part of the meeting?”

“No. Shall we get started?” 

“Yes, of course” Alec agreed with a nod. 

“Good, now please tell me what you had in mind,” she requested.

Magnus listened closely this time. He didn’t want to miss anything. At some point there was food and Magnus and Alec had some of it while Alec continued to talk to the queen.

It took some time for Alec and the queen to even start a proper discussion. The queen always kept her answers as short as possible, often saying just a single word. It was like speaking to a wall, sometimes there would be an answer from the other side, but it was mostly pointless. 

Hours later, Magnus didn’t even want to think about how many, he and Alec finally stood up. The discussion was finally over, and although the queen hadn’t wanted a contract, they had come to some agreements. Magnus had kept himself busy with eating as he had nothing else to do. The food was actually pretty good. 

“Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, my lady. It is good that we’ve talked,” Alec said and bowed before he turned to leave. Magnus was just about to turn around as well when the queen spoke again.

“You cannot leave. You are chained to my kingdom till I say you can leave.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Alec questioned as he turned back. 

“You’re free to go, prince Lightwood. But I have an interest in Magnus.”

“Magnus? Well I”m not leaving without him,” Alec said.

“What's stopping me from just walking away?” Magnus asked her, a defying glare on his face. 

“You can try. But I'm warning you, you'll never make it out of the wandering woods. You ate the food, you can only leave with my permission.” Magnus was about to tell her that was nonsense before something came to mind. A myth he'd read once while researching demons. He'd read about  people that were half demon half angel, that lived separated from everyone and had a close connection with nature, having the power to manipulate it and use it as they wanted. The myth had also mentioned the food, and how if you ate any of it, you couldn't leave without the queens permission. He also remembered what Meliron had told him what seemed like a long time ago.  _ “The blood we share goes as far back as the beginning of the Seelies.”  _ And how later he'd found out his father was a demon. It all made sense, and he didn't know how he hadn't realized earlier. 

“This is the part where we make a deal, right?” Magnus asked her, remembering how the myth went.  “What do you want?”

“It's not about what _ I _ want. I just think you shouldn't keep secrets.” Magnus froze, his eyes flickered to Alec before he focused back on the queen.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” he said.

“Lies, lies and more lies. Magnus, you have to tell the truth, or your little prince will pay the price for it”

“There's nothing to tell!” Magnus insisted, fear on his face now as he wondered if she would really hurt Alec.

“Last chance. You shouldn't lie to the people you love, you know how easily trust can break.” 

“Please don't hurt him,” Magnus begged. “I don't have any secret, just let me go!”

“Oh Magnus,” she sighed and waved her fingers. “You could have just told him, now you need to save him,” she singsang.

“Magnus, what… Magnus!”

Magnus turned and looked at Alec. What he saw made his blood run cold. Vines were making their way up Alec's legs, making it impossible for him to move. And they were going further up, soon wrapping themselves around Alec's torso before making their way up to his throat.

“Stop that, please stop it. There is nothing I have to tell!” Magnus shouted and looked back at the queen.

“It is your decision Magnus. Save him, I know you know how to,” she said with a smile.

“You're crazy! I can't stop it. I'm begging you, I'll do anything. Just let him go.”

“Magnus, Magnus, Magnus. Must everything be so difficult with you? Don't beg  _ me  _ to save him. Save him yourself.” Magnus heard a choking sound and turned, seeing the vines wrapped tightly around Alec's throat,q Alec's face already red from the lack of air. “Five minutes is all it takes. Two and he'll live, with some damage. Three and he won't be the prince you know when he wakes up. Four and he might not wake up. Five and he'll be a corpse for you to carry back.” The queen sang the words like a children's rhyme, and Magnus had to hold himself back from jumping on her. 

Alec's hands were free, and he was clawing desperately at the vines around his neck, looking at Magnus with pleading eyes. Magnus hesitated barely a second before he raised his hands. He cast his eyes down, not looking at Alec's face but rather at the vines around his throat as he reached for the energy within himself. His hands lit up, sparks flying around him and he could feel his eyes change as he focused all his energy on the vines. The vines were strong, resisting, but Magnus wouldn't stop, and he forced them away from Alec, back into the ground. He looked up at Alec once they were gone, his eyes still unglamoured and sparks still flying around him. He barely got to look into Alec's eyes before they rolled back into his head, and Alec fell unconscious on the ground.

Magnus was breathing heavily as he calmed the magic and then ran over to kneel next to Alec. He heard the laughter of the queen as he checked for Alecs pulse. 

“Oh thank god,” he whispered when he found the steady heartbeat. 

“Well, you are free to go now. Your horses are ready and your bags are packed. Good luck, Magnus Bane,” the queen said, the amusement still clearly audible in her voice. 

Magnus was furious but he had to get Alec out of there so he lifted him up and slowly carried him outside to the horses. He knew Shadowhunter would be careful and he lifted Alec up on the horses back, he took the leash and then got onto Jem’s back. Magnus gave the command to move and pulled shadowhunter along.

 

* * *

 

The sun was already down when he left the Seelie Realm, but Magnus kept riding, despite the darkness. He needed to get as far away from the Seelie realm as possible, and he only stopped when the first rays of sunshine were visible on the horizon.

Alec was unconscious the whole time, and Magnus wondered if the queen had sedated him or something. 

Magnus made the camp in less than a minute, snapping his fingers to set up the tent and tying the horses to a tree before he took Alec off Shadowhunter's back and carried him into the tent. He laid him down in the sleeping bag and sat down next to him. There were dark bruises around Alec's throat, and Magnus cursed himself for not noticing it earlier. He let his hand rest on the side of Alec’s neck, and magic flowed into him. The bruises were gone in a minute, and Magnus left Alec alone in the tent. 

He set up a ward, started a fire in the middle of the camp, fed the horses, and then sat down by the flames. 

He knew it had been the right thing to do, the only real option. But he couldn't help but wonder if there had been another way, if he could have saved Alec without his magic. Maybe Alec wouldn't remember when he woke up? Or maybe he would think it was all just a weird dream. It wasn't that he didn't want him to know, but he didn't want him to find out like _ that.  _ He had been thinking about how to tell him for so long, to have the choice ripped away from him like that… it hurt. But worst of all, it left Magnus terrified. Alec loved him, he knew that, but he’d been lying to him for  _ months.  _ Alec didn’t seem to hate magic as much as Robert, but the rule was still there in Idris, and once they got back Alec would have to either get him executed or keep it a secret. Magnus didn’t want him to have to choose between betraying the man he loved and his own kingdom. 

He stood up, couldn’t just sit around doing nothing. He needed to get his mind off everything, and a walk through the forest would be perfect for that. He wondered for a second if he really should. What if Alec woke up and he wasn’t there? What if Alec thought he had abandoned him? But Magnus just shook his head and told himself he was gonna be back soon. It was only a small stroll through through woods. 

It was cold in the forest, Magnus had taken his jacket off while he was sitting around the fire, and now he was getting cold. But he didn't want to go back and get one, so he just shrugged and kept walking. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, especially not when Alec woke up. 

Magnus kept walking for a while before he went back to the camp. 

“Magnus?” he heard just as he stepped into the light of the flames.. Magnus closed his eyes for a moment before he went into the tent to look for Alec. 


	17. The silent brothers

Alec woke up to an empty tent. He was confused about where he was for a moment before recognizing the tent. Their tent. His and Magnus's. It came back to him, the whole thing in the Seelie Realm. The queen had said Magnus needed to tell his secret, and then when he hadn't, the vines had appeared, made their way up his body till they were wrapped around his throat, choking him. He remembered that he couldn't breathe, and that no matter how much he fought, the vines only tightened around his throat. He remembered seeing Magnus lit up in blue, and his eyes… surely he had imagined it. He'd been delusional, he'd seen things that weren't really there. 

“Magnus?” he called when he realized that his boyfriend wasn’t there. Alec looked around as he sat up, he rubbed his eyes and a few moments later Magnus came into the tent. 

“Hey, what… what happened? Where are we?” he asked.

"You don't remember? We were in the Seelie realm, but we left right after we spoke to the queen. We're somewhere in the woods right now,” Magnus said.

“I remember that part. But there is also some things I'm not sure about. Did she really tell you to tell your secret? Or was that a dream?”

“What happened after that?” asked Magnus, he seemed upset, but Alec was still too confused to notice this. 

“There were vines, I think? But that must be crazy, I mean, that would mean they were using magic.” 

“Alec, what do you remember after the vines?”

“Nothing, Magnus. It must have been a dream or my imagination or something.”

“Just tell me what you remember, please.”

“You ...Your eyes changed colour and there sparks all around you, but Magnus, this can’t be true.”

“Alexander,” Magnus started, clearly unsure of what to say.

“You don't need to say anything, Magnus. I know it wasn't true.” 

“I can't lie to you anymore,” Magnus said, reaching for Alec's hand. “I should have told you before but I… I was so scared. I still am. But I need to tell you.”

“Magnus, what?” 

“No, shush. Please just listen to me.” Alec looked confused at Magnus. What was he talking about? “Alec, what you saw, it was all real,” Magnus said. “I… I think it's easier if I show you.” With those words Magnus raised his hand. He made a few sparks flicker around his fingers  before deciding to give a real demonstration and let a blue butterfly fly out of his palm. “I have magic,” he finally said and closed his hand again, letting it fall down as if he waited for a reaction from Alec. 

Alec didn’t know how to react, what to think. He just stared at Magnus for a long time. “You… You have magic? It’s blue… oh god, you were the one who saved me?”

“I… yeah, I guess,” was all Magnus said. “I was just finding out about it at the time, now I'm… well, now I control it. Well, sort of, I still have problems sometimes, but I am a lot better.”

“But why didn't you tell me?” Alec asked. Did Magnus not trust him?

“Because it’s magic, Alexander. And your father kills everyone who uses it and I… I’m afraid that you hate me now.”

“Hate you?” Alec repeated in disbelief. “Magnus, I could never hate you. And I wouldn't sell you out, I won't. How could you ever think that?” 

“You were raised in the belief that all magic is evil and should be destroyed… and it’s difficult to think different if this is what you have been told your entire live.”

“I've always thought my father was wrong, Magnus. People should be punished for what they do, not for how they do it. You've never hurt anyone, have you? So there's nothing to punish.” Alec pulled Magnus in to a tight hug. “This doesn’t change anything. I still love you.”

“Alec,” Magnus whispered and buried his face against Alec’s neck. It felt like Magnus relaxed, for a moment, before he started to shake slightly and soon Alec could feel his neck getting a bit damp, but he didn’t care, he just kept holding Magnus. 

“I love you. And thank you, for saving my live. Twice. Even if you could have been a bit quicker with the vines,” he said and tried to loosen the mood and make Magnus laugh.

“I'm sorry,” Magnus mumbled. “I will next time. I promise,” he said. “I love you too.”

“Good. Now, please show me more.”

“You really want me to show you? You don't just want to pretend this never happened?” Magnus asked, left dumbstruck. 

“Of course not. Magnus, your magic is a part of you. And it's beautiful. Will you please show me more?”

“I… okay.” Magnus opened his hand and let sparks flow out of it. He laid back on his sleeping bag and urged Alec to do the same. “Look up,” be told him, and Alec did. 

There, on the ceiling, were all the constellations, all the stars. It was like looking up at the sky on a dark night, except all the stars were blue, and they were inside.

“Magnus… this is beautiful, so so beautiful. How could you hide this from me for so long?” Alec asked and turned his head to look at Magnus for a moment before he looked back up.

Magnus was looking away. “I guess I didn't want to break what we had. I knew that the longer I waited the harder it would be to tell you, but… I'm sorry.” Magnus flicked his fingers, and the stars changed to a dragon. “I don't know if you know about it, but your father has a dragon in the basement.” As Magnus spoke chains appeared on the dragon, stopping him from flying. “His name is Ithuriel. He told me it was my destiny to help you defeat Lilith, to keep you safe.”

“Wait, what?” Alec exclaimed and looked at Magnus again. “You’re joking, right?”

“About what part? The dragon? Or my destiny? Both are true.” Magnus changed the scene again, a village burning, people running, dragons flying over them. “You weren't alive during the war. Not much of it, anyway. There were some people called dragonlords, they can talk to dragons, and they can control them. They made good dragons do bad things. The dragons never wanted to be part of this war in the first place. But they were forced into it, and they caused more destruction than any man ever could.” Magnus changed the scene again, dragons flying away and knights chasing after them. “When your father ended the war, he had all the dragons killed. Except that one. It was kept hidden, locked away as an example.” Again, the scene was changed. This time Magnus let the sparks fly around the room like fireflies.

Alec didn’t know what to say. What were you supposed to say in a situation like this?

“The dragons were wise and Ithuriel still knows so much. He told me it was my destiny to help you, to prepare you for that fight where you will free the downworlders. Vampires, werewolves, and warlocks, or you die trying. And I won’t let you die,” Magnus said. Alec threw an arm over his shoulder to pull him tight.

“You've been doing an excellent job,” he told him. “I wouldn't have come this far if it wasn't for you. I probably wouldn't even be alive.”

“I would have done it anyway. I didn't do any of it because it was my destiny, or because Ithuriel told me to. I did it because I love you.”

“I know, but it adds up nicely,” Alec grinned and kissed Magnus. 

“Yeah,  guess you could say that,” Magnus said. “Now I need to sleep a bit and then I guess we should train. You’ve slept all night so I guess you are full of energy, if you stay a hundred meters around the fire you will be safe, I’ve put up some wards to protect us and since I’m going to sleep now you better stay within for a while, please?”

“Of course. I'll stay here, actually. I like cuddling with you,” Alec said and held Magnus closer.

“Who am I to say no when my prince offers to cuddle with me while I sleep,” Magnus chuckled and snuggled closer against Alec before he closed his eyes. Alec watched as Magnus drifted off and held him tight. He noticed how the sparks slowly fell down and disappeared as Magnus fell asleep. He was surprised about all of this, no doubt. But he hadn't been lying, he still loved Magnus, and he would still do anything for him. 

Magic had always been something distant for Alec, something he knew existed but had never actually seen. Until now. And it was just beautiful and exciting, and Alec did’t understand how his father could hate it so much. Yes, it could be dangerous, but magic was so much more than that, and so it wasn’t difficult at all to love that part of Magnus as well, especially when Magnus used it to help Alec, to actually save his life. 

“I just wish you would have told me sooner,” he whispered and caressed Magnus’s cheek. Magnus was already too far away from this world to hear him, but he leaned against Alec's touch, a smile on his lips. “Sleep well, Magnus,” Alec said and kissed Magnus's forehead.  

 

* * *

 

Magnus slept for a few hours, and when he woke up he was still in Alec’s arms. It really was his favourite place on earth and Magnus didn’t care about anything else, the world could end but he’d be happy, as long as Alec was there.

“Good morning,” he mumbled, kissing Alec's shoulder lightly. Alec smiled down at him.

“Good morning,” he said. “Well, more like good day.” Magnus blinked to get used to the light as he looked up before looking at Alec again.

“Are you hungry?” He asked Alec. He was starving himself, so he assumed Alec was too.

“Yeah, a bit. Do you want me to get the food?” Alec asked, starting to sit up. Magnus pulled him back down.

“I'll get it,” he said. He snapped his fingers, and a bread and some ham appeared in front of them. Magnus had been practicing on his conjuring, at first by just summoning something from one hand to another, and then from further distances. Now he could do it even without seeing the thing, as long as he knew exactly where it was and could picture it in his mind. 

“Magnus…. You really should have told me about that sooner” Alec complained with a grin.

“I don't think I could have done this sooner either way,” Magnus told him. “It's the first time I summon something from so far away.” 

“Magnus. You're awesome,” Alec said before reaching for the food.

“I know, thank you,” Magnus grinned and sat up to eat something as well. They ate mostly in silence, enjoying the food and each other's company. Magnus wondered whether Alec was really fine about this, or if he was just pretending for Magnus's sake. He really hoped that wasn't it, hoped Alec accepted him. He had seemed to like it before when Magnus showed him, and he wasn't acting any differently. 

“So… ready for some training now?” Magnus asked once they finished their lunch.

“Yeah. Swords? It's been a while since we practiced with swords.” With that they stood up, got dressed, and went to get their weapons.

Alec had packed three swords in addition to the shortsword, the soulsword, and the dagger, so they grabbed one each and got into position in the middle of the clearing.

“Oh god, I don’t know if I remember anything,” Magnus whispered as he got ready for the training. 

“Don't worry, you're a natural,” Alec assured him. 

“Yeah of course,” he mumbled. “Well then bring it on,” he challenged. And Alec did, lunging forward. Magnus deflected his attack and tried to attack himself. Alec easily blocked it and attacked again. They danced around each other, swords hitting against each other. It probably shouldn't this much fun but Magnus loved it. He felt good, even if he knew he would never win in a real fight.

Alec managed to disarm him, sending the sword flying out of his hand. Magnus smirked as Alec held the sword to his throat. He raised his hands, as if to surrender. But just then he let out a blast of magic, one that hit Alec right in the chest and sent him flying back.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Alec laughed.

“I have to use the weapons I have!” Magnus protested. It felt really good to be able to be himself with Alec, to be able to use his magic so freely. He went over to Alec to help him up. “What about some hand to hand combat?” He suggested. Alec agreed with him, and they put the swords away.

 

* * *

 

They trained for a few hours before sitting down around the fireplace, which wasn't burning anymore. 

“That was really good,” Alec hummed, it had been exhausting but he felt so good. It had been so long since he and Magnus had trained and he felt so out of shape. He wasn’t too bad, but he really should start training more often again.

“Yeah. We need to start training regularly again. Right now we really need those two weeks,” Magnus said. Alec agreed with him.

“I think we should stay out here in the woods, away from civilization for a while. What do you think?” Alec asked him. 

“I think that would be great. Just us two, Shadowhunter and Jem. Perfect,” Magnus agreed. Alec hummed, leaning his head on Magnus’s shoulder. 

“I love you,” Alec murmured. Magnus smiled, tangling a hand in Alec’s hair. 

“I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

 

They spent a week in that place. They had some free time in between hunting for food and training, and they spent it riding around in the forest, bathing in a lake they found just a mile away, Mangus showing Alec his magic and what he could do, and just cuddling around the fire. Alec showed Mangus how to use a bow, and although Mangus wasn’t the best, he managed to hit a deer for them. It was actually pretty fun, he could get why Alec liked it. 

After a week they decided to keep travelling. They packed everything down, loaded the horses, and set on their way. Alec wasn't sure where they were going next, he'd said they were just gonna follow the main path until they arrived somewhere, be that a village or a new kingdom. 

They rode for two days, only stopping at night to make their camp and sleep. When the sun started to set the second day, Magnus spotted lights in the distance. They steered the horses in that direction, and an hour after sunset they stepped into the village.

“Hello?” Alec called out. It was a small village, only three houses. Magnus wondered if there was more to it, hidden maybe, or if there were only three families in the village. 

There was no answer to Alec’s call, not that Magnus expected it. Something about the village seemed off, different. There were no lights in the windows, but it was late, so it didn't mean anything. “Should we knock?” Magnus asked, nodding towards one of the houses. 

“We could try, I guess,” Alec said, nodding. They went up to one of the houses, the one closest to them. Alec knocked on the door, a hand on the hilt of his sword. The soul sword. They waited for minutes, knocked again, and waited. No answer. 

“They must be in really deep sleep,” Magnus finally said. 

“So what do you think we should do? Sleep in the tent and come back tomorrow? Or not come back at all?” Alec asked. 

“I guess we could try to come back. Maybe there’ll be someone here in the morning. We saw light, so there has to be someone living here.” 

“Well, we should make our camp then,” Alec said. 

“Yeah, let’s go.”

  
  


* * *

 

They made the camp quickly. Or rather, Mangus did. Alec watched fascinated as the tent set itself up and the sleeping bags unfolded themself. “Come on, let's go to sleep,” Magnus said once everything was ready. They got into the tent together, lying down in their bags and cuddling together. They were out in minutes after a long day of traveling. They had placed their camp a bit away from the houses so they wouldn’t disturb anyone in the morning.

 

* * *

 

Well, they had planned not to disturb anyone, but when they woke up the next morning and crawled out of the tent there were men standing there, staring down at them. They all looked the same, dark cloaks that covered their whole body, hooded faces that left only the chin visible, and pale, scarred skin. Magnus couldn't deny that they creeped him out. 

“Who are you?” He asked them. No way this were the people from the village, if you could call it that. There had been only three houses, there were at least ten men here. Only men. No women, no kids. 

_ We are the silent brothers. You are on our territory.  _ Magnus turned his head to try to spot which one of them was speaking. None of them were moving their lips, and the voice wasn't coming from anywhere. It was just  _ there.  _ It reminded Magnus of when Ithruel spoke to him.

“We’re sorry. My prince and I are on a tour around the kingdoms, maybe you’ve heard of Price Alexander from Idris?”

_ We do not know about any prince Alexander,  _ one of the men, if you could call them that, said.  _ How did you find our place? _

“How we found it? We followed the lights…” Magnus said, frowning. 

_ There has been no light. Who are you?  _

“We saw a light,” Alec protested, speaking up for the first time. “I am Alexander Lightwood, prince of Idris. And this is my servant, Magnus.” Alec had his sword in his hand, unsheathed, but not like he was about to attack, it was more like a warning. 

The brothers looked at Alec. Magnus couldn't see their eyes, but he felt their gaze move off of him and towards Alec. He could feel as the brothers talked, probably between each other as he couldn't catch anything of what they said. It was like hearing muffled voices, he could tell they were there, but couldn't hear anything of what they said. He wondered if it had been foolish to travel further into regions they didn’t know about, but now he couldn’t change it anymore and so he just waited on what the brothers were about to decide. 

_ You have the sword,  _ one of them finally said. Alec frowned as he looked down at the sword in his hand.

“Yeah, I do,” was all he said, having no idea what the brothers were trying to say.

_ Does it burn when you hold it? _

“I'm pretty sure I would let go of it if it was burning, so no.” Once again the brothers spoke between each other, only for a short time.

_ You are the once and future king. _

“Oh nice, so you have heard of me” he said sarcastically, Magnus had trouble holding back a laugh.

_ You are not marked. _

“Marked? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

_ You do not bear the mark of the angels. _

“Yeah, because I'm not an angel.” The brothers turned to Magnus, their gaze once again felt like needles on his skin. 

_ You have the adamas _ , one said.

“Adamas? I don't even know what that is.”

_ You have it. And you charge it.  _

“I'm sorry, I really have no idea what you're talking about and I hate it so much that no one ever just say what they mean anymore. Before this whole thing started people were just telling me what they wanted me to know.” Magnus heard Alec chuckle behind him, he could probably relate.

“It was much easier then, wasn't it?” He said lowly, like he didn't want the brothers to hear. Magnus was pretty sure they could anyway. Before Magnus could answer the brothers spoke again.

_ Come with us.  _ They turned, and it looked like they were floating as they made their way to the forest. Magnus looked at Alec before shrugging, and then followed the brothers, Alec right behind him. 

They were led back to the houses, and Magnus wondered if they really did live there. They followed the brothers into one of them, down to the basement. Magnus wondered for a second if they were going to kill them, but if they wanted that they could have done it in the forest. 

One of the brothers moved towards the wall of the room, and Magnus noticed a statue. The brother stood in front of the statue, and a minute later it moved, an opening appeared in the wall. 

The brothers all stepped through, not even checking if they were following. Magnus hesitated for a moment, and he saw Alec did too. No one in their right mind would follow a bunch of creepy men down a dark corridor they had no idea where it ended. Then again, Magnus and Alec weren't exactly in their right minds. They were both too curious, and too crazy.

“Should we?” Alec asked, nodding towards the hole in the wall. 

“Why not?” Was all Magnus said, shrugging. If anything happened they both knew how to defend themselves.

Magnus stepped in first, his hands glowing so they could see where they were going, and ready to the defend them if necessary. Alec came right behind him, his sword raised and letting out a dull glow, as it always did when Alec held it. Magnus wondered if it worked the same way the stone he'd found, if it took energy from Alec to glow. It also made him wonder if holding it could make Alec weaker, like how Magnus had been in that cave.

He soon had other things to think about as the corridor ended in a big room. The brothers were all there, looking at them as they came in, and Magnus lowered his hands.

_ Give us the adamas,  _ a voice said inside their heads.

“I would, if I knew what the hell it was!” Magnus exclaimed, tired of the same scenes playing over and over again. 

_ The stone. Give us the stone.  _

“The stone? What stone?” Magnus asked, but realized he didn't have to. He knew what they were talking about, he could feel it in his pocket.  _ The stone. _ Magnus reached into his pocket and pulled it out.

The stone glowed in his hand when Magnus held it out, not sure which one of the brothers to give it to. After a minute one floated up to him, a pale hand reached out, and Magnus placed the stone in the palm. “What's so special about the stone?” He asked. He knew it wasn't an ordinary stone, normal stones didn't glow in his hand. But he had no idea what the brothers could possibly want to do with it. It didn't do anything special, at least not as far as Magnus knew.

_ The adamas glows in your touch, but you do not have the energy of the angels. _

“I guess it doesn't discriminate between fallen angels and angels.”

_ You are a warlock.  _

“You just got that now? My hands were literally glowing two minutes ago.” Magnus realized he probably should try to act nicer, he had no idea what these people could do. But he was so tired of all of this, he didn't even care. 

_ The king needs to be marked. We will speak to the sisters. _

“Who are the sisters and how do you want to mark Alec? What is this good for and will it hurt?” Magnus asked. He didn’t really like them and he wished he and Alec could just be back home or back in Red Hook, which seemed to be the only place where people just told them what they meant without being this cryptic or confusing. He wished he and Alec could just be together without anyone giving a shit about it.

_ The sisters work the adamas. The king must be marked with the mark of angels if he wants to defeat the queen. _

“And what exactly is the mark of the angels?” Alec asked. 

_ You will see.  _

“Great. So how long will this take exactly?” Alec got no answer and the brothers had stopped looking at them. 

“Okay.. so we can leave now? Get back to train some more and prepare Alec for the fight against Lilith?” Magnus asked and turned towards the passway. The hole they'd come through closed behind them.

_ You must wait till the king has been marked.  _

“So you're just gonna keep us here?” Once again the brothers didn't answer, and Magnus turned to look at Alec.

“Do you want to stay and wait or do you want to leave?” he asked him.

“I honestly don't think we have a choice,” Alec said. “I guess it won't hurt to wait, to get marked, or whatever.”

“Yeah, because marking doesn't sound like getting hurt at all,” Magnus said and rolled his eyes. “But fine, if that’s what you want.”

“We'll be fine, Magnus. If they wanted to hurt us they would have done it while we were asleep.” 

“I hope you're right,” Magnus sighed. “So what exactly are we gonna do in the meantime? We didn't even eat breakfast. Do you think they have food here?” 

“For some reason I highly doubt it.” 

“I hope this doesn't take too long.” 

“Me too. But we could at least sit down in the meantime,” Alec suggested. Magnus didn't see any bench or chairs, but he supposed the floor was good enough. They moved to the wall where the way out had been and sat down, leaning against the wall.

“Why does this keep happening to us?” Magnus questioned after a few silent minutes. Alec just shook his head with a smile.

“I have no idea. But at least we have each other.” 

“Yeah, thank god.”

“I don’t know if I should like this trip or not. I mean I have you with me and that part is amazing but… First that Camille and then those horrible people at the Seelie Realm and now this? As well as the whole Lilith thing…” Alec sighed.

“Let's just hope it gets better. Maybe we'll get to go home soon or we could go visit my mother,” Magnus suggested. “I'm sure she'll be happy to have us there for a little while and to know that everything is going to be fine. Also that I am happy, and I’m sure she would love to meet you.”

“I'm sure that would be wonderful. We can go there next,”  Alec said, smiling. 

“If we ever get out of here.”

“We will,” Alec assured him, leaning back against the wall and reaching for Magnus's hand. “We will.”

 

* * *

 

They didn’t know how long they sat there, but at some point they fell asleep again, only to be woken by the voice of the brothers.

_ Come with us,  _ it said, forcing them out of their sleep. They both stood up and followed the brother further into the dark place. They walked through endless dark corridors, the only thing that could be heard was his and Alec's footsteps and breaths. 

After what seemed like miles the brother finally stopped. Alec noticed there was something shining in the brothers hand, earlier hidden by the cloak.  _ The ceremony will begin,  _ the brother said. _ You are not part of it, so step back _ , they told Magnus.

“No. Whatever you're gonna do to Alec, I'm gonna be here,” Magnus protested. 

“It's okay, Magnus. I'll be fine,” Alec assured him, stepping closer to the brother. “What do I need to do?” He asked. 

_ Raise your arm,  _ the brother said. Alec did. The brother reached out and turned it so his palm was up, and then pressed the thing in his hand against the side of Alec's arm, right under his elbow.

Alec clenched his jaw and hissed at the pain. It felt like something was being burned into his skin. He wondered if he should fight back, but something made him stand still and just take it.He tried not to make any sounds so he wouldn’t worry Magnus.

The burning feeling stayed even after the brother pulled back, and when Alec looked down he could see his skin red and irritated, and a shape burned into it. “What did you do?” He asked the brother, jaw clenched and brows furrowed to try to hold back signs that it was hurting him. 

_ You have been marked by the angels now. You have the gift of runes. Use it in your fight or you will not succeed. _

“I don't speak mysterious. Just say what you want to say straight out, is it that hard? What the hell do you mean by runes? And how will this help me?”

_ Every rune will give you an ability.  _ The brother handed Alec the glowing stick looking thing he'd used to burn the rune onto him.  _ Use the stele to make and activate them. _

“I don't know any runes, and why would I do that to myself?” 

_ Follow me.  _ The brother turned again, and Alec and Magnus followed him.

“Are you okay?” Magnus asked , taking Alec's arm to look at what the brother had done while they walked. “Does it hurt?” Magnus ran his fingers over the shape, or rune, as the brother had called it. 

“Just stings a bit. It's fine,” Alec said. They stayed silent the rest of the way. 

The brother led them into a room, and as Alec looked around himself he realized it was a library. The brother went up to one of the shelves and picked out a book. It seemed he knew exactly where it was, didn't even have to look at the titles. He brought the book back, handing it to Alec.

Alec looked down at the book. It was simple, bound in black leather. Alec opened it, and on the first page was the shape he now had on his arm. Written under in big letters said:  _ Angelic power.  _ Under that it said in small letters:  _ Rune gives angelic power and removes any traces of demons. Can be used on weapons to make it impossible for demons to regenerate. _

Alec turned to the next page. There was another rune there, a drawing of it, another drawing showing in what steps you should make it, and information about it, along with its name. “So what am I supposed to do with this exactly?” 

_ Draw them, get used to them. One day you will need them. I will lead you out now,  _ the brother said and floated past them. They followed him, Alec holding both the book and the other thing in his hand. What was it the brother had called it? A stele? 

They were led outside, but through another way. They came out in a cave, and the brother led them back to their camp. 

“What now?” Magnus asked once the brother had left. “Do we just continue like nothing happened? What do we do about the runes? Do you think you should do as he said? Or should we just forget about it?” 

“I don't know. I mean, I don't feel any different with this rune, but it wouldn't hurt to try another one.”

“So it doesn't hurt? It looked painful.” 

“No and I mean, I could try one more, just to see.” Magnus hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

“If you're sure. Which one then?”

“One we can be sure of if it works or not. Like…” Alec opened the book again, looked through the pages. “This one,” he finally said, finger resting over one of the drawings. “A strength rune.”

Magnus looked down at the rune. “Okay, that one looks good. We'll just make you lift a really heavy rock. But shouldn't you try to draw it on something else? Before you… burn it into your skin?” he asked. 

“That's probably a good idea,” Alec agreed. “Do you think I can burn it into a tree?” He asked. Magnus just shrugged. Alec went up to the closest tree and held the book up so he could look at the drawing while he pressed the stele to the rind. It seemed to work, the stele left the tree black as he moved it, so he could see where he drew. It took only a moment before Alec pulled back to admire his work. He compared it to the drawing in the book. “I think that's good. Where do you think I should put it?” He asked Magnus. 

“I don't know. Your bicep maybe? It's strength, so maybe it works better placed over a muscle, and it would look good there. But draw it one more time on the tree, just to be sure,please.” Alec smiled, seeing Magnus worried about him made him feel loved.

“Okay. One more time,” he agreed, putting the stele to the tree again. He showed Magnus it once he was done. “Good?” Magnus sighed but agreed.

“I’m glad you find it good enough,” Alec chuckled and pulled off his shirt. He lifted the stele and took a deep breath before he started to draw the rune on his skin. He hissed at the pain, but managed to draw it. 

“Are you okay?” Magnus asked once he was done, a hand resting on his shoulder.

“Yes. Yeah, I feel fine. I guess. I guess I just have to get used to the feeling if I am supposed to use those things in my fight with Lilith” he mumbled and looked around. “Now.. what do you want me to lift?” Magnus looked around himself before spotting a big, heavy looking stone. He snapped his fingers and made appear in front of Alec. 

“That,” he said. If this rune didn't work there was no way Alec could carry it. Alec looked down at the stone before leaning down. He grabbed it in his hands and pulled it up like it was nothing. 

“Okay, it definitely works,” Magnus said. 

“Yes, I agree” Alec said and let the stone down again before he stepped closer to Magnus and pulled him into his arms. 

“Whoa, Alexander,” Magnus chuckled as he leaned against Alec's chest. “Take it easy. That rune is still working”

“Sorry,” Alec said, letting go of Magnus. He had to learn how to control it. 

“I said take it easy, not let me go,” Magnus complained and leaned up to kiss Alec quickly. “And I guess we should read a few things about those runes now, learn how they work and all that,” he said. 

“Yeah, let's do that,” Alec agreed. “I guess we can stay here for a day while we read through it all.”

“Sure. And then we’ll move a bit and just stay out in the wilderness for a bit while we train and get you ready. We have met with all those we needed to. Let’s just enjoy the time alone, even though it might be difficult for you not to hear from your family or to be able to send to them.”

“Actually, the worst part is I'm not getting my answer from Izzy. I had some questions I wanted her to answer…” Alec blushed as he remember what he had written to his sister.

“Right, we left the Seelie realm early, so we never got an answer,” Magnus remembered. He probably hadn't been expecting an answer from Luke, so he hadn't noticed that he didn't get one. “You know, I think it might be possible for me to get it. If I can visualize it and know somewhat where it is, it should be possible.”

“Really? Magnus, that's awesome!” Alec exclaimed. “It'll probably have the royal seal, you know what it looks like. And the envelope will be yellowish, and my name will be written in it in Izzy's handwriting,” Alec said, describing it. “I'm guessing it'll be somewhere in the Seelie Realm.” Magnus closed his eyes, probably trying to see it in his mind. Alec saw his hands glow, as they always did when Magnus was reaching for his magic. Magnus snapped his fingers, and Alec only heard a thud as something hit the ground. He looked down and saw what he had described, an envelope with the Lightwood seal. But it looked like there was a package with it too, something Alec hadn't been expecting. 

“Thanks a lot, Magnus. I'll go inside to read it now.”

“I'll make a fire and feed the horses,” Magnus said. He kissed Alec’s cheek before going to collect wood.

Alec went into the tent and sat down comfortably before he opened the letter. 

_ Hey Alec, it's nice to hear from you! I'm happy for you and Magnus and I'm glad you came to me for help! I have some experience with boys, as you know, but I also asked around a bit. So, what you need to do is... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know adamas glows red at Magnus's touch, but I honestly hadn't planned this far ahead, and blue fits just as well. I hope you're all fine with that. Either way it's not the first detail I've changed, that's what fanfiction is for.


	18. The things that happen in between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is late. I literally had it ready to be posted, but yesterday was such a busy day I completely forgot. Anyway, it's here now. Hope you enjoy.

Magnus sat by the fire. He’d taken the book when Alec went to read the letter from his sister, and he was now reading through the pages, memorizing each rune and what it could do. It could always come in handy later.

There were quite a lot of runes, it seemed there was a rune for everything. He went through a few pages before he stopped memorising, just looking at the drawings and reading about them. Would Alec ever need all of these? Magnus wondered what Alec would look like covered in runes. The strength rune had looked wonderful on him, Magnus wouldn’t deny he’d stared.

Magnus was surprised when he saw there was a firemessage rune. It said it could be drawn on paper and it would be sent to whoever the person was visualizing.

The last page of the book was information about the runes. It said they were a gift from the angels, that only the ones the angels had chosen could take them, that if anyone else tried to they would die or become what the book called a forsaken. It also mentioned that the runes changed color. They were red at first when the skin was still irritated, but according to the book they would turn black in about a week.

Magnus put the book away after a while and looked at the flames. He was bored, so he started playing with them, turning them to different shapes. He looked up at Shadowhunter and Jem, resting in the shadow of a tree. He recreated the image in the flames. Once he finished that he moved on, creating a flower, a tree, basically everything he could see. He tried to make himself sitting around the fire, but he couldn't see himself, so the image wasn't very detailed. Then he decided to draw Alec as well and he turned out great, he looked exactly like him, but somehow still not perfect. The real Alexander was still a lot better.

Just then Alec came out of the tent, and the shape in the fire flickered and disappeared as Magnus stopped concentrating. “Are you okay?” He asked. Alec seemed a bit flushed, almost like when Magnus made him blush.

“I'm fine,” he said. “What were you doing?” Alec nodded towards the fire. He had probably seen the image right before it faded away.

“Firepainting,” Magnus said with a smile- He still didn’t know what had caused Alec to blush like that, but he decided to play along for a little while. “Sit next to me and help me. Tell me what I should draw?”

“You are drawing with fire?” Alec asked as he sat down next to Magnus.

“Yeah, look,” Magnus smiled and formed the flames to look like Alec again. Alec looked, his blush disappearing.

“Magnus, that is so… I don't even have words for it.” Magnus smiled and changed the picture, Alec riding Shadowhunter at full speed. Magnus had seen it once, and he'd found it beautiful. The memory had been stored away, and now Magnus got to recreate it. “I don't get how anyone could hate magic. It's so beautiful.”

“Yeah it is. But I understand that it can be rather dangerous as well,” Magnus shrugged.

“Still. People are dangerous, not magic.” Magnus just stayed silent. They sat like that for a little while before Magnus looked up again.

“So… what made you blush like that? What did your sister write to you?” he teased.

“Oh, that…” Alec blushed again. “Nothing special. I'll tell you later. We should get going though,” Alec said. “Get to a populated place, sleep at a tavern for once. With a comfortable bed.”

“I guess you're starting to get tired of sleeping on the ground after what you're used to.” Alec had grown up sleeping in a king bed, he was probably missing the quality and comfort of it.

“A bit, but it might not be the main reason”

“Then what is?” Magnus asked, looking curiously at Alec.

“I'll tell you later,” Alec said. “Once we get to a tavern.”

“Then I guess it's about time we leave,” Magnus said. “I've read through the book, so I can tell you during the trip. We don't need to stay here an entire day. It's still somewhat early, so we would get pretty far before sunset.”

“If you want to get going, sure,” Alec agreed.

“Well, I want to know what your sister wrote you, so yeah I want to get going,” he said and stood up. Magnus went to the middle of the camp and snapped his fingers. A few moments later everything started to pack itself up and into bags. Magnus had to say that he was rather proud of himself for being able to do that.

“This is so much better than having to pack it down ourselves!” Alec smiled.

“Well, don't expect me to do it every time. It's my energy going into this, don't forget that,” Magnus said. He'd gotten much better, so this didn't tire him much, but it did tear on his energy.

“We'll leave it for days were in a hurry then.”

“Or if you we're just feeling lazy,” Magnus added.

“No, that'll be every day,” Alec joked, chuckling.

“Only now that you know I can do this, before you’ve done it without complaining.”

“It's much easier to do something when you think it's the only way. Now that I know you can just snap your fingers I'll always be lazy.”

“Well, I won't be able to do this once we get back, so you gotta get back in shape,” Magnus joked.

“Are you saying I'm not in shape?” Alec gasped, playing along.

“Erm… you used to have more of a six pack then a four pack” teased Magnus and moved closer to Alec to lift his shirt a bit. “See? Those two used to be more” he grinned and stroked over two muscles.

“I'm pretty sure they're still there,” Alec huffed. “They're just not that defined. I've been too busy cuddling to have my morning training, so this is partly your fault,” he said.

“Maybe. But only a tiny bit,” Magnus complained and dropped the shirt again. “We have to change that.”

“So we'll stop the morning cuddles?” Alec pouted.

“No, it means less morning cuddles and more after training cuddles.”

“After training? So… sweaty, sticky cuddles?” grinned Alec who made his way over to the horses.

“After cleaning cuddles,” Magnus said then. He followed Alec to the horses. The bags were packed, all they had to do was get them on Shadowhunter and Jem and the gear them up before they could set on their way. That was done in minutes, and soon they left the place behind.

“Now tell me about those things you’ve read, please?” Alec requestedas they rode next to each other in a steady, not too fast, pace.

“Yeah, of course,” Magnus said before he started telling Alec what he'd read. They rode undisturbed through the woods for hours.

 

* * *

 

The woods ended when the sun started to set, and it was almost completely hidden by the horizont when Magnus and Alec spotted a village. They made their way there as fast as the tired horses went and got there only minutes before the sun disappeared.

“Do you have any idea where we are now? Or where to look for a tavern?” Magnus asked.

“Not really. Let’s just get further into the village and look around.”Alec suggested, who really had no idea where they were or how to find a place to sleep.

“I'm sure there is some tavern here. And if not we'll camp outside town.” They rode further into the village, looking for a house with lights.

“Over there,” Magnus said after a while and pointed to a house which had a sign up and still had lights. Alec nodded, and they made their way there. Magnus led the horses to the stables while Alec went inside to get them a room.

The tavern was warm compared to the chilly night air. There was a man standing at the reception.

“Good night,” Alec greeted, going up to him. “I would like a double room, two nights, two horses” he said.

“You are very late. I hope you can pay. And I have to say that you are rather lucky. I have only two rooms left.”

“I guess fate is on my side. I can definitely pay,” Alec assured the man, pulling out his small bag with money.

“Well then. Ten gold coins. Here's the key.” Alec handed the man the money and took the key before going out to help Magnus with their stuff.

“So we will stay here?” Magnus asked with a smile. “That’s good, because I'm tired and need sleep, just like the horses need some rest.”

“Yeah. I got us two nights, so we can rest and… I can tell you about what Izzy wrote.”

“That's great. Will you tell me today?” Magnus asked.

“Nope,” Alec said and smirked a bit. “Tomorrow. After training.”

“Will you keep pushing it away? At first you said you’d tell me at the tavern and now that we are here you are telling me tomorrow,” Magnus complained.

“It's just not a good time right now. I will tell you tomorrow, I promise. Let's go to sleep for now.” They left the horses in the stable and brought their bags up to their room. It didn't take long before they were both in deep sleep.

 

* * *

 

They woke up the next day when the sun was shining through the window and onto their faces. Magnus grumbled and turned away, hiding his face against Alec's neck. He didn’t want to get up. Not after they got to bed late last night. He heard Alec chuckle and looked up at him. “What's so funny?” He grumbled.

“Less morning cuddles, remember?” Magnus groaned and buried his face in the pillow.

“I said less, not none,” he mumbled, the words getting muffles in the pillow and almost impossible to understand.

“We've had some already,” Alec said. “Now it's time for training.”

“Five minutes, Alexander. I need five minutes”

“Five minutes? And here I thought you wanted me to have a six pack. But you prefer five minutes. I won't complain.”

“I would love even without any visible muscles on your stomach. I’d love you if you were twice the size you are now," he told him.

“Let's try to avoid that,” Alec chuckled. “Poor Shadowhunter then, carrying both me and the bags.” Alec kissed Magnus's temple. “Five minutes, then we go training. You too, Magnus.” Magnus groaned again, but agreed. Alec wasn't the only one who needed to be in shape, and it would be more fun if they trained together.

Magnus cuddled himself close to Alec, resting his head on his chest and pressing their bodies together.

“Do I really have to wait till after the training?” he asked.

“Yes. Or we won't get the training done,” Alec said. Magnus raised his head.

“Well, now I'm really curious.”

“The faster we get the training over the faster you'll know.”

“Fine.” Magnus untangled himself from Alec and got up. “Come on, I'm waiting.”

“Yeah, I'm coming.” Alec stood up, pecked Magnus's lips, and went to get some clothes.

 

* * *

 

They got dressed and went downstairs to get some food before they took the horses for a ride. They found a big, open space about a mile from the village and stopped there. Magnus and Alec trained for a few hours, first with swords, then hand to hand, and a bit of strength training. Alec noticed the rune wasn't helping at all, and Magnus told him they had to be “activated” again after a while.

After a few hours they were both exhausted, and they made their way back to the village. They stopped by a small lake they'd seen on their way to clean themselves up, before they rode the last bit back into town.

“Will you tell me about it now?” Magnus asked as soon as Alec had closed the door behind them.

“Just give me a second, Magnus. Will you?”

“No. I want to know now. I’ve been waiting for so long. Now tell me,” he requested again and moved closer to Alec so he could wrap his arms around him and kiss his cheek. “Tell me.”

“Fine,” Alec sighed with a grin. “I asked Izzy a few questions in the letter I sent her,” Alec said. “She had some very good answers. It's easier if you read it yourself.” Alec pulled away from Magnus and went to his bag, where he took out the letter before handing it to Magnus.

At first Magnus was a bit confused as to what it was about, but then he realized.

“Oh my god, Alec! You seriously asked your sister?”

“I had to ask someone. She knows a lot about that and I know she won't tease me to death when I get back.” Magnus just shook his head and read on, read about what Izzy knew from herself, and what she'd found out about what they could do. It was interesting. It also made his cheeks heat up at the thought of doing those things with Alec.

“Do you want to do this?” He asked Alec once he was done reading.

“I… if you want, yes. It wouldn't hurt to try at least.”

“I'm actually not so sure about this not hurting one of us,” Magnus admitted. “But I like how it sounds and I rather like the idea so, yeah, I would want to try this.”

“It said it would hurt a little in the beginning, but otherwise it should just feel good.”

“She said we would need some kind of oil…”

“I have it,” Alec said. “It's from Luke. He… he left a message on it if you want to read it.” Once again Alec went to his bag and took out a vial. There was a piece of paper attached to it, and Magnus recognized Luke's handwriting.

_Use this oil to make everything easier and less painful. If you run out contact me to get more, or make sure you get some other that won't cause infection or irritate the skin. Be careful with what you choose, and you should preferable just send me a letter._

_And just be careful and take things slow. At the beginning at least!_

Magnus handed the vial back to Alec with a blush. “I can't believe she asked Luke for help,” he muttered.

“Well, I guess she knew that he wouldn’t judge us,” Alec offered and shrugged his shoulders. “What did he write?”

“He told us to be careful,” Magnus said. “When do you want to do this?” He asked to change the subject. “Right now? Or later?”

“Right now? If you want to?” Magnus shrugged and smiled.

“Right now then.” He leaned up to kiss Alec, his arms around his neck to pull him down. Alec chuckled a bit before he returned the kiss and Magnus could feel his arms around his middle. It felt amazing to be held like this by Alec. It made Magnus feel special.

Magnus poked his tongue against Alec's lips, asking for permission which was granted almost immediately. He kissed him deeply, their tongues brushing over each other and each of the exploring the other's mouth. After a moment Magnus started pushing Alec lightly to make him move. They made their way to the bed without breaking the kiss, and only stopped to lay down. Magnus crawled into the bed, sitting on his knees over Alec as he leaned down to kiss him again. A moment later he felt Alec's hands reach for the hem of his shirt and he sat up again to pull it off before he kissed Alec again and moved his own hands over Ale'cs chest.

Magnus slipped his hands under Alec's shirt and pulled it off him, his mouth then going to kiss Alec's collarbones and neck. His hand travelled down to palm lightly at Alec's growing erection.

“What part do you want to try?” Magnus asked as he realized they didn't talk about that before.

“I can try to be the bottom today? And then we can switch later?” Alec suggested. He didn't seem very happy  about the little breakl but Magnus knew they needed to talk about it and he was sure that Alec also understood.

“Okay. Sounds good,” Magnus agreed and kissed Alec again before he moved to his neck again.

Alec's hands were moving all over his body, down his back and thighs, and then up his chest. Magnus was shivering under his touch, leaning into it, craving it. He had read Izzy's letter, but he still wasn’t so sure about how to do this. He trusted Alec to tell him when something didn’t feel alright or when he wanted something differentm and so he was fairly relaxed about this whole situation. He was excited of course, but not scared.

He started undoing Alec's pants before he pulled them down, leaving Alec in his underwear. Alec's hands moved to Magnus's pants, and he undid the button before slipping his hand inside and under Magnus's underwear, cupping his erection with no layers.

“Get those pants off Magnus. Please I want to feel all of you without any clothing between us,” Alec requested. Magnus moaned at the feeling of Alec touching him. He didn't even have to snap his finger, the rest of their remaining clothes disappeared, appearing again in a pile in the corner of the room.

“Wow… that- that was quick,” Alec chuckled before he pulled Magnus into a kiss and stopped him from saying anything.

Magnus himself was surprised and amazed by how easy that had been but he decided to just be happy about it and kissed back. He thrust his hips down against Alec's, moaning as their cocks rubbed against each other. He kissed Alec harder and did it again.

“You have to talk to me,” he told Alec before he kissed down his neck again. “Tell me when it feels good or bad. Tell me when you want me to change something, do something differently,” he explained as he kissed down Alec's chest and stomach. Alec nodded and agreed, promising he would.

Magnus reached Alec's cock and looked up at him to make sure it was okay as he slowly took the head into his mouth.

 

* * *

 

Alec didn’t know what was happening around them, all that counted was Magnus and how he felt and tasted, how he sounded and felt under Alecs touch. He gasped when he felt Magnus's hot mouth around him, and moaned right after. He had never thought about that, not before he had read that letter. Since then he could only think about that, how it would feel and now that he had it… He knew his imagination had been so wrong, it didn’t even come close to great it was.

Magnus took more and more into his mouth, and Alec couldn't help but thrust up. Magnus choked and pulled back, and Alec apologized breathlessly.

Magnus coughed a bit and shook his head. “It- It’s okay. Just give me a moment.”

“Of course! Do you need anything?” Alec askedand reached out to rub Magnus’s back gently as the other one calmed down again.

“I’m fine. So, I’d say you liked that?” Magnus grinned once he stopped coughing.

“It’s incredible, Magnus. I’ll try it on you the next time,” he promised and sealed it with a kiss.

“I hope so. Now, lay down. Let's try this oil thing, yeah?”

Alec nodded and took a deep breath as he laid back again. He was nervous. Excited, and he wanted this, but he was still nervous about it. He trusted Magnus and he knew that Magnus would stop if he needed him to, something that Alec found extremely helpful and calming.

He saw Magnus reach for the bottle and also how he hesitated for a moment. Alec wanted to ask when Magnus stood up.

“I’ll get a towel, because I think this could be messy and I don’t want to ruin the bed. It’s not ours so we better be careful with it,” Magnus explained.

“Yeah, sure. That’s a good idea,” Alec agreed and nodded. It made sense and so he relaxed again and waited for Magnus to come back. Alec then lifted his hips so Magnus could place the towel underneath him.

“Okay. So, Ready?” Magnus asked. Alec nodded, spreading his legs and blushing as he thought of what was gonna happen now. He wanted it, he really did. He wasn't sure why he was blushing, maybe because of the way Magnus was looking at him.

He took a deep breath as Magnus coated his fingers with the oil. He couldn't help but gasp when he felt Magnus's fingers on that place. Magnus had barely touched him and it already felt good. Magnus was massaging his hole, waiting for Alec to relax. Alec took a few deep breaths and forced his body to let go. Slowly he felt Magnus's fingers breach in, just to the first knuckle. Alec took a deep breath again and nodded at Magnus, and slowly he pushed more of the finger inside. Soon the whole finger was in, and Magnus stopped to look at Alec. “How do you feel?” He asked.

“It feels kinda weird,” Alec said. It didn't feel bad,, it didn't hurt. But it didn't exactly feel good either. It was just weird.

“Does it hurt?” Alec shook his head.

“No, it just feels weird.”

“So you want me to continue?” he asked.

“Yeah… yeah, you can move it,” Alec said. Magnus started moving his finger slowly, looking at Alec like he was searching for any sign of discomfort. The finger actually didn't feel too bad, and soon Alec was thrusting his hips down to meet the finger. Then suddenly Magnus hit a spot inside him, and Alec's back arched off the bed. “Magnus!” He moaned. “Oh god, do that again.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“That spot, Magnus. Touch it again,” Alec said. He felt Magnus feel around inside him till he found that place, this time hitting it with much more pressure. “Fuck,” Alec muttered, his head thrown back. “More!”

It felt incredible, even though Alec didn’t really know what it was but he didn't care. He closed his eyes and moaned softly as Magnus continued to touch that spot and rub over it.

Magnus kept doing this for a while before he slowly pushed in a second finger. It burned a bit but it wasn’t too bad and since Alec knew how it felt when Magnus hit that special spot, he didn’t mind. He decided to wait for it to happen again. And he didn’t have to wait for long. He cursed and forced his eyes to open so he could see Magnus. He was beautiful and he seemed so focused on this, Alec hoped that Magnus would be enjoying it as much as Alec did.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Good. I like this. And you? Is this okay?” Magnus asked.

“Yes.Yes it is amazing,” Alec nodded and smiled encouragingly. “Please keep going,” he requested.

Magnus didn’t answer but instead moved his fingers again. He also kept teasing that spot and Alec just loved it. It was a good thing that it hurt again when Magnus added a third finger, because that brought Alec away from the edge again. At some point Magnus added more of the oil and it made everything a lot easier and slicker. Magnus stopped after a while and pulled his fingers out. It felt weird to not have anything in anymore, but Alec knew that would change soon.

“Are you sure? And ready for this?” Magnus asked. Alec loved how Magnus constantly checked if he was okay, it showed him again that Magnus cared about his feelings and wellbeing and it made him feel so loved.

“Yes, Magnus I want this. And I am ready. You’ve spend a lot of time… preparing me for this. I'm ready and I'm sure.”

“Okay,” Magnus nodded and reached for the oil again to pour some over his erection. It was rather a lot bigger then then fingers and Alec worried for a moment, but he trusted Magnus and so he forced himself to relax as Magnus spread his legs a bit further, positioned himself and then slowly guided his cock into Alec.

It was a lot. But Alec breathed through it and Magnus moved slowly, so it was alright. It did take rather a long time and once Magnus was fully in he stopped and Alec had the chance to get used to the feeling.

“Alexander are you okay?”

“Yes. I'm good. Just give me a moment.”

“As long as you need.”

And then Magnus didn’t move at all, something Alec was thankful for.

After a little while he nodded and reached for Magnus’s arms. “Kiss me when you start moving,” he told him.

Magnus did just that, and Alec loved the distraction because at first it burned but soon it started to feel rather good and after a few slow thrusts from Magnus he hit that spot again and Alecs eyes rolled back as he moaned in pleasure. He had never thought something like this could feel so amazing.

Magnus pulled back from the kiss to let out a moan. “You feel so good around me, Alexander,” he said, lips brushing against Alec's as he spoke.

“Magnus, God, don't stop. More, please,” Alec begged, thrusting down against Magnus's cock, his legs wrapped around Magnus's waist. Magnus sped up his thrusts and adjusted his hips so he kept hitting that spot. It didn't take long for Alec to come close to the edge again.

“Magnus I… Oh, I'm so close,,” he warned and gripped his shoulders tightly.

“It’s okay, me too. Let go Alec. It’s okay.”

Alec nodded quickly and a few moments later he buried his nails in Magnus’s shoulders as he arched his back and came over their stomachs.

If anyone would ask him what happened next or how it felt, Alec would not be able to answer. A second after his climax, Magnus came as well and the feeling was overwhelming. It was so much at once that Alec feared he might pass out for a moment. Luckily he didn’t.

Magnus was sweaty and he was panting heavily as he pulled out and lay down next to Alec. Alec turned to look at him, smiling at the beautiful picture he made. “That was awesome,” he said once he'd caught his breath. He could feel some of Magnus's come sliding out of him and onto the towel. He was suddenly glad Magnus had placed it there, or they really would have made a mess of the bed.

 

* * *

 

 

Magnus was exhausted but he felt amazing. This must have been the greatest thing he had ever done. He was happy and he was so glad to have done this with Alec, who seemed to be rather happy about the situation as well. Magnus looked down on himself and chuckled.

“I should go and get us a wet cloth to clean us up, or everything will stick in the morning,” he mumbled and tried to make himself stand up.

“I'll go,” Alec said. “You just lay down.” He sat up and felt a slight ache on his lower back, but he stood up anyway and made his way to their bags, where he grabbed a towel before coming back.

“Are you okay?” Magnus asked as he looked after Alec. “You're limping.”

“I'm fine,” Alec assured him. “Just stings a bit.”

“I think I can help. Come back to bed, I’ll get the cloth wet and then I’ll look something up,” Magnus said.

“Look something up? What do you mean?” Alec asked.

“Go in my bag. Take out my diary.” Alec did and brought it back to the bed. Getting the cloth wet was no problem, it was just a different way of summoning. All he had to do was summon some water into the cloth. Taking away Alec’s pain though, that would be harder, but first he made sure that they were both clean and then he kissed Alec.

“So… lay down now and relax, yeah?” he told Alec.

“Yeah. What do you need your diary for though?”

“Well, it’s not a diary. It’s a spellbook,” he admitted. He had been afraid but now he hoped Alec would be okay with it. After all he seemed to enjoy Magnus’s magic.

“A spell book?” Alec repeated. “Really? Let me see!” He said, excited. Magnus opened the book. It was dull and boring on the outside after Luke had to change the binding, but inside it was beautiful, with lots of colors and drawings.

“Yeah a spellbook. Look,” he said as opened it so Alec could look inside. “It has all the spell in there that I used so far. Usually you don’t need the words after a while or if you used them often. Then it’s enough to think it and it happens, but now I  want to look for a spell to help you with the pain and then we should take a nap. This has been rather exhausting,” he admitted.

“Yeah, it has. You… you don't have to heal me. I kinda like it. It's not too bad and it reminds me of what just happened.”

“Well then, let’s sleep and I’ll check when we wake up, based on how you feel, yeah?” Magnus suggested.

“Sounds like a great plan,” Alec agreed and cuddled against Magnus after he reached for the blanket to cover them both. “Sleep well Magnus,” he hummed.

“Sleep well Alexander. And thank you for this, it was amazing,” Magnus whispered, wrapping his arms around Alec before he closed his eyes.


	19. Magnus's mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter, and they will be from now on. As you can see, I've decided how many chapters there will be, although it might be altered. Either way, we're nearing the end.

After that eventful day, Magnus and Alec spent the next day in bed as well. Magnus did eventually heal Alec, but when it was time to get moving again neither of them was really motivated. But they knew they had to.

Neither of them knew where they were going next, they just knew they had to keep moving until they could get back. Alec hadn't bothered to check where they were, they didn’t want to know. They just wanted to keep traveling randomly.

The nature changed as they traveled, from big, flat meadows to tall mounts to endless beaches. They followed the main path, expecting it to lead somewhere. It took a few days, but after a while, the road got wider, it split into smaller paths more often, and soon they could see yet another village in the distance. 

Magnus felt like there was something familiar about this, but he couldn’t quite place it and figured it was just his imagination. But as they got closer and closer there was something bugging him. Not before they passed a sign with the name of the village did Magnus freeze. No way, it couldn’t be. Magnus couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognized it. It has been so long. It was only a few months, but they had felt like a lifetime.

“Magnus, are you alright?”

“Yeah. It’s just that… this is my hometown,” Magnus said and looked at Alec.

“This?” Alec asked surprised, turning to look at the village again. “What a coincidence.”

“Yeah… I didn’t even recognize it till I saw the sign. It’s definitely about time I come back.” Magnus set Jem into motion again. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Hey, Magnus! Will we visit your mom?” Alec asked as he got Shadowhunter to move.

“Of course. I’m sure we can sleep at her place. If you don’t mind sleeping in the barn.” 

“I don’t mind at all. It’ll be nice to meet her.” 

“Yeah, it will. I haven’t seen her in so long…” Magnus sighed. He hadn't even written her, he’d been too busy. He’d asked Luke to say something from him every once in a while, they sent letters to each other at least twice a month. 

“Let’s go then. Lead the way.”

“I don’t know how much she knows about you, but maybe we introduce you as a friend first?” Magnus suggested.

“Why? Do you think she won’t accept us?”  Magnus shook his head.

“It’s not that. It’s just… let’s not give her all the news at once. We’ll tell her slowly, okay?” 

“Yeah, okay. Fine,” Alec said. 

“We will stay a few days and we will tell her, I promise” 

“It’s fine, Magnus. She’s your mother, we’ll take it at the pace you want to take it.” 

“Thank you, Alexander,” Magnus said. He put Jem into a slow canter and steered for the village.

The closer they came the more Magnus recognized. All the houses, the little market in the center, even some of the people that looked weirdly at them when they passed. Magnus was pointing out things and places to Alec and he slowed down the closer they got to his mother's house. He felt bad for not writing often enough and he didn’t know what she would think about him and Alec. He hoped she would like Alec and that she would be happy for them when they told her that they were dating, but he just didn’t know. He didn’t want her to react in the same way Alec’s father had. Magnus’s mom meant everything to him, she had been the only one in his life for so long. She had raised him alone and they had such a close relationship, he didn’t know if he could handle it if she was against his relationship with Alec.

Alec must have noticed he was nervous, he smiled encouragingly at him. “Don’t worry, Magnus. She’ll be happy to finally see you again, and we don’t need to tell her at all if you don’t want to,” He assured him. 

“I want her to know about us. You are important, I love you and I want her to know that,” he said. “She means a lot to me and I want her to know everything. She deserves to know about you.”

“In that case, we’ll tell her. But slowly, as you said,” Alec said and smiled. “Just relax, okay? Everything is fine.”

“Yeah. Everything is fine,” Magnus repeated. “Come on, it’s this way.” The village was quite small, by horse you could see the whole thing in two minutes. Magnus’s mother’s house was on the outskirts of town. Magnus led the way and hopped off Jem once he could see the house. 

As he arrived he bound Jem to the fence and waited for Alec to do the same with his horse before they went to the door. Magnus took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Magnus waited, weight shifting from foot to foot as he stood in front of the door. It took an entire minute for the door to open. Magnus couldn’t help as he stared at his mother. It had been so long since he’d seen her, he wanted nothing more than to just hug her. But he held back, and instead just greeted her. “Hey,” he said, looking down at the ground. 

“Magnus?” He looked up and was immediately embraced tightly. “Oh, Magnus. I’ve missed you so much.” 

“I’ve missed you, too, mama,” he smiled and held her tightly. She had the power to immediately make him feel better. She pulled back from the hug and kissed his forehead before turning to Alec. 

“And who might this be?” she asked, looking him up and down.

“This is Alec,” Magnus said. “You might know him as Alexander Lightwood, prince of Idris.”

“Oh… the one you are working for?”

“Yeah. Luke told you about that?” 

“Yes, he told me how you were doing, what you were doing. I can’t help but want to know. I heard you had to leave, you are welcome to come back now,” she said.

“Mama, I would love to, but I can’t… we are just here to visit you,” he said. 

“In that case you are welcome to stay as long as you want.”

“Thanks, Mama. We can sleep in the barn, none of us will mind,” he told her. 

“Magnus! You want to have a prince sleeping in a barn?” 

“I really don’t mind, Mrs. Bane. Magnus and I are used to sleeping outside. We’ve been sleeping in a tent for a while, so a barn will be just fine.” 

“We need to get the horses in the stable at least,” she said, looking past them to where Shadowhunter and Jem were tied. 

“Yes, they would need a better place to stay,” Magnus agreed and nodded.

“Magnus, why don’t you take the horses to the stables while I go prepare food for you? You must be starving,” she said. She went inside to make food, and Magnus turned to get the horses along with Alec. 

“She seems very nice,” Alec smiled as he untied Shadowhunter.

“She is. I love her so much and… I think she likes you.”

“I hope so. Now, take us to the stables,” Alec requested. 

The stables hadn’t been used in years. They’d had a horse before, but she’d died of age when Magnus was still just a child. After that they’d never had money to buy a new one, nor did they ever need one. The stables had space for three horses, but it was still very small. Each room was at least half the size of the ones in Idris, but it had always been enough, so Magnus was sure the horses would be okay with it for two days or so. Magnus led Jem into one while Alec brought Shadowhunter into the stall next to Jem. 

“So... what do you think so far?” Magnus asked and turned to look at Alec as he closed the door.

“It’s nice. It’s such a big contrast from what I’m used to. This is the life I always wanted, you know? To just be an ordinary person.”

“It’s fun. You know, there are plenty of animals to take care of all the time, there’s no limit on what you can do or when to do it, I used to go bath in the lake at midnight, I could just look up at the sky and see all the stars while I was swimming, it was fun. We could do that,” Magnus suggested. 

“Sounds fun. Do you have any animals here?” Alec asked.

“Yeah, we do. At least when I left we had two cows, four pigs and seven sheep. I don’t know about now though, she might have sold them.”

“Oh? Because she doesn't have time?” asked Alec.

“No, it’s not about time. It’s about the money. That’s why I left in the first place. We lived of selling milk and wool, and sometimes we sold piglets when we had many. Then one of the cows stopped giving milk and two of our sheep disappeared, so we had to live on much less than we were used to. She figured it would be better if I stayed with Luke for a while, that way she only had herself to care for. Anyway, she might have sold some of them to get some money.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I'm glad you came to Idris, but I don’t like the reason. Maybe I could help? I mean, I am the price… she could come to Idris as well? Or I could buy here some more sheep if she wants.”

“No, Alec. Keep your money. It’s very generous of you, but then she wouldn’t rest till she had paid you back. And I think she’s doing fine now, she did say I could come back.” 

“Okay. But just know that I’ll be more than happy to help if she needs it.” 

“Thank you, Alec.” 

“Of course. And she really can move to Idris. That way you two would be together and could see each other more… but we should wait with that offer until the Lilith thing is through,” he mumbled.

“I don’t think she would want to leave this place. She’s lived here all her life. But it’s only about a three days ride by horse, I could come to visit more often,” Magnus suggested. 

“Yeah of course. I think I should give you Jem… I mean at this point he is technically still mine, but you two are obviously close and he’s more yours than mine, so... yeah."

“Thanks, Alexander. That's really nice of you,” Magnus smiled. He had to hold himself back from kissing Alec. 

“Of course. You're welcome.” 

“Let's go inside now, see if we can help with anything.”

 

* * *

 

Alec followed Magnus inside. The house was nice, but Alec could see it was old. Magnus showed him around, showed him his old room, which was almost as small as Isabelle's closet, the living room, which was smaller than Alec’s room, and finally the kitchen, where Magnus's mother was. 

She asked Magnus to go get potatoes for the soup she was making, so Alec followed him outside. There was a small garden there, and Magnus went right to where the potatoes were. Alec followed, but he realized he really had no idea how to do stuff like this. He watched Magnus and figured it was pretty simple.

“Do you need help?” He asked.

“No. She'll only need three, it's faster if I just do it,” he said, handing Alec one he'd already dug out of the dirt.

“Okay, yeah... if you're sure,” Alec mumbled, as he took the potatoes from Magnus. He felt rather useless. It took only a minute for Magnus to be done and they went back to the kitchen together. Magnus handed his mother the potatoes and then sat down on a chair, talking and catching up. Alec stood awkwardly by the door, having no idea what to do or say. He just needed to give them some time, they hadn't seen each other in a while, after all. He didn’t feel comfortable standing there and he slowly moved out of the room to give them time.

He made his way back to the stables, where he fed Shadowhunter and Jem some apples before sitting down by Shadowhunter's side. He didn't say anything, just sat there. He felt comfortable in Shadowhunters presence, and this way he wouldn't be holding Magnus and his mother back.

 

* * *

 

Magnus noticed that Alec left the room, but didn't think much of it. He had probably just gone to the bathroom, or to get some air. He only started worrying when Alec didn't come back.

He waited a while, a good ten minutes before he couldn't anymore. “I need to go check on Alec,” he said, interruption his mother mid-sentence. He didn't say anything else, but left the kitchen. He looked for Alec in the house first before going outside. In the end, he found Alec in the stables.

“Are you okay?” he asked gently as he approached Alec and laid a hand on his back. 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Alec said. “I just wanted to give you some peace.”

“You didn't have to leave, Alexander. You weren't disturbing us.”

“It felt like… not like I was disturbing you but like I was just there and didn’t matter. I felt useless, and I don’t like that.” 

“You are not useless, how can you think that?” Magnus shook his head, sitting down beside Alec. “I'm sorry if you felt like that. I was so happy to see my mother again I didn't think that you would feel left out, so I'm sorry,” he said, taking Alec's hand. “It won't happen again, okay? I promise.” Alec nodded and smiled.

“I get that you want to be with your mother, of course you do. But thank you, Magnus. I love you,” he said. 

“I love you, too,” Magnus said and kissed Alec. “Do you want to come back in?” he suggested.

“Yeah, sure,” Alec nodded. They both stood up, and Magnus pecked Alec's lips before they went back inside. Magnus's mother was back to focusing on the soup, and Alec and Magnus settled down by the table. They started talking between each other, and Magnus made sure to include Alec in the conversations.

 

* * *

 

They sat in the kitchen for a rather long time, eating dinner and then just talking for a while about all the things that had happened in Idris and on their way so far, of course they left out a few things, like the magic and that they were a couple. After that Magnus stood up and smiled at Alec.

“Come on, I’ll show you where we sleep,” Magnus said happily as he led Alec into the barn. It was far from what Alec was used to, but Magnus hoped it would be alright. “Well… what do you think?” he asked. 

“It’s nice here,” Alec said. “The house is beautiful and your mother is very nice, just like you.” Magnus smiled.

“I'm glad you like it. But we won't stay for long, we need to keep moving,” Magnus said. 

“And training, I know… but you deserve it to spend some time with your mom after being away for so long.”

“Thank you, but your mission is even more important,” Magnus said.

“Maybe, but you and your mom are important too, so, it's okay if we stay a few days, we can still train daily.”

“We'll see how it goes, but not more than a week. We can always come back after we've finished our work, what we have to do.”

“Yeah, we can. But let's stay for a while anyway… in case something goes wrong.”

“What do you mean, if something goes wrong?”

“We're gonna fight the queen of hell, Magnus, and all we have that could hurt her is my sword and your magic. You know it's possible that one, or both of us, won't make it.”

“No, that’s not possible,” he told him. “Because I won’t let that happen. And we also have your runes.”

“Either way, it's the queen of hell. We can't know what will happen, and we can't know if we'll make it out,” 

“We will, Alec. You have to believe we will.”

“I hope so at least,” Alec said. “Let's just go to sleep now, I'm tired.”

“Okay. For today it was enough but tomorrow we should really look at those runes and maybe give you a few more already? So you can learn where they are and it would be easier to activate them when you need them.”

“Yeah, that's a good idea. But tomorrow, after training. Sleep now,” Alec repeated. He grabbed the blanket Magnus's mother had given them. Magnus was supposed to sleep in his own room, but just as he was going to prepare the bed it had “broken”. Alec suspected there was something else there, especially considering the blue sparks he'd seen and how he'd caught flashing eyes in his side view. But Magnus didn't say anything, just smirked when his mother said he would have to sleep with Alec. 

They had collected a bit of hay to make it more comfortable, but Magnus suggested to keep their clothes on tonight. It would probably be more comfortable for them. They snuggled in and Magnus held Alec in his arms. “Sleep well, my love.”

“With you by my side I always do,” Alec mumbled, closing his eyes.  “Good night.”

 

* * *

 

In the end they did stay for a week. Magnus was happy back where he'd grown up, and he showed Alec around, taught him how to care for the animals and work the plants and vegetables. Every day Magnus told himself he would tell his mother the next day, but he never did.  This part hurt Alec. He enjoyed everything else, the learning about the plants and animals was great, the training was good and the new runes seemed to work perfectly, but to know that Magnus was not telling his mom about them was bad. It hurt him, even though he had said it would be okay if Magnus took his time.

Magnus didn't tell her though, and Alec didn't say anything. Soon, almost too soon, they were leaving. They were leaving the village behind, in only a few hours it was barely a dot on the horizon. Alec didn't know where they were going, but they were going north.

“Why didn’t you tell her?” he finally asked as they rode into a forest.

“Tell her what?” Magnus asked, his face revealing that he knew what Alec was talking about.

“About us, Magnus. Why didn't you tell her?”

“I don't know,” Magnus mumbled, avoiding Alec's eyes. “It was going so well, I didn't want to ruin it, I was just scared I guess.”

“But do you think she would react badly?” 

“I don't know how she would react. That's what scares me.”

“Be honest… will you ever tell her?”

“I don't know, Alec,” Magnus shook his head. “Let's just talk about this another time.” 

“Fine. But we will talk about it,” Alec said.

“Yes, just not now. We have to focus on that fight.”

Alec nodded, he didn’t want to talk another time, it was bothering him, but he could sense that Magnus would not talk to him that day so he accepted it. He didn’t want to start a fight. 

When night settled around them they found a spot that was good enough for a camp. It was already dark so Magnus set up the tent and they both went to sleep quickly. The air was loaded with tension around them, so thick it was hard to breathe though it sometimes.

“It hurts me, Magnus. That you won't tell her. I'm trying to not be upset, but I am. I just think you should tell her, and I hope you do some time," Alec said before they could fall asleep, hoping that would ease the tension between them a bit.

“I love you, too, and I... I want to tell her, I really do. I just need time. I… I don’t know what I would do if she reacted badly… I mean you and your dad already had a lot of difficulties, but me and my mom? We have always been close and I don’t think I can lose her, you know?”

“Yes… of course and I don’t want you to choose between me and your mom. I honestly think she would be okay with it, that she’d understand and be happy for you,” Alec said and reached for Magnus’s hand. “She is such a nice woman, she deserves the truth, we deserve the truth, and I really think that she would be happy for you Magnus.”

“Yeah… I just don’t know.”

“Well, We are on our way now so you can’t tell her now anyway, but when we come back, please think about it,” Alec requested and squeezed Magnus’s hand, he felt better already and was glad that they had talked about this a bit at least, he felt like he’d be able to sleep now.

“Yes, I’ll think about it,Alexander. Now let us sleep, yeah? It has been a long day.”

“Good night, Magnus.”

“Night, Alec.”

 

* * *

 

When they woke up the next morning they had a quick breakfast before they trained a bit then studied the runes a bit more. Well, Alec studied the runes while Magnus tried a few spells and almost set a few trees on fire by accident. 

In the following few days they came back into a routine of training, studying, eating, and sleeping. In between they always made time for each other to talk about other things and to cuddle, and to keep exploring themselves and each other, trying out all the things in Izzy's letter. The first few times it was a bit messy again, but soon they got the hang of it and it was just pure pleasure for both of them. 

After a week they saw the silhouette of something that looked like a castle in the distance. Something was not normal about it. It was like they could see it, but somehow when they started to look directly at it, it wasn’t there anymore. They decided to investigate it and rode closer. Or they thought they would get closer. They were moving, but the image didn’t get any clearer or nearer.

“What is this?” Magnus wondered and looked over at Alec.

“I have no idea,” he mumbled and shook his head. “But apparently we cannot get closer like this… let’s try to ride around it.” 

“You think we might see it better from a different angle? Yeah sounds like a good plan,” Magnus agreed, and so they changed the direction of the horses.  

In a way, it worked. They didn't get closer, but other things started to appear around the castle. There was a dark wall, tall and seemingly never-ending. It reminded Magnus of the wall around Idris, it was the wall of a kingdom. A big one. 

“Hey, Alec. Do you have a map?” Magnus asked. They hadn't used one in a while, but Magnus hoped they still had one so they could find out where they were. Magnus had a suspicion, but he wanted to be sure.

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” Alec said, jumping off his saddle to look through one of the saddlebags. “Here it is.” He handed Magnus the map. 

“Okay, so my village is here,” Magnus said, pointing at a spot on the map. “We've been riding this way for about a week, so that means that is…” Magnus moved his finger over the map as he spoke, and now his finger rested over a city illustrated on the map with a big, dark wall, and a castle. “Edom.”

“Edom? But why can't we reach it then? Isn't Edom where Lilith lives?”

“Yes, Lilith lives in Edom. But this Edom is just a glamour, the real Edom is in another dimension.” 

“If it is in another dimension how are we supposed to get there?” Alec asked.

“I honestly have no idea,” Magnus replied, shaking his head.

“Well, if that isn't the real Edom there's no point in trying to reach it, is there?” Magnus shrugged.

“I guess not.” So they changed direction again, this time going in the opposite direction, towards the woods. They reached the woods a few hours before sundown and decided to keep riding. They followed the main path, and soon the trees started to get thicker, the woods darker. 

“I think we should stop and set up the camp,” Alec said after a while. 

“Yeah, as soon as we find a place where there's space for a tent between the trees, I haven't seen one yet,” Magnus pointed out.

“Well, we really need to stop. We can't ride in the dark, and the horses are tired.”

“Well, I can't help the horses, but I can make some light,” Magnus said, holding up his hand and letting a blue ball of magic float out of his palm. It didn't give much light, but it was better than nothing.

“Still, the horses are tired Magnus,” Alec said. “Um, could you make us a camp somewhere in the trees or so?” he suggested.

“Well… yeah, I think I can actually,” he sighed. “Okay, let’s look for a big tree that looks very stable and strong."

That’s exactly what they did, and after a few more minutes they found a fitting tree where Magnus created a hanging tent for them. Magnus also set up his usual wards to protect them before they climbed into the tent to sleep.


	20. Gateway to hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is late. I had it ready yesterday, but I completely forgot to actually post it. Either way, it's here now, and I'm really sorry. Enjoy!

It was still dark when they woke up the next day, even though the sun was standing tall. Barely any light came in through the thick leaves. But at least now they could see, even though what they saw didn't help to ease their minds. 

The path they had been following ended just a few meters ahead. Magnus was sure he'd seen it continue yesterday, but apparently the dark had fooled him. “I guess we'll turn back then,” he said, looking at Alec.

“Yeah, we don't have any other option.” So they turned, following the path back. Barely ten minutes later they had to stop again. The road split into two.

“I can't remember the road being split yesterday,” Alec said, frowning. “What way should we take?” He asked, turning to Magnus. But Magnus wasn't listening. He was looking into the trees, between the two paths. “Magnus?” 

“Alec, do you see that?” Magnus asked, his voice distant. He got off Jem, walking towards the place the paths split. Just a few meters into the woods was a statue. A troll. Something was bothering Magnus in the back of his mind, something he couldn't catch. 

“Is that a troll? Who would make a statue of a troll in the middle of the woods?” Alec questioned.

“Someone who knew we would be here, someone…” the memory hit Magnus suddenly, the book.  _ When the troll stands in the middle, go left. _ The book he'd found in the secret room, the book without a writer and with only a sentence on each page. “We need to go left,” Magnus said, going back to Jem.

“Left? How do you know?” Alec asked. 

“Just trust me on this,” Magnus replied, getting into the saddle and setting Jem into motion. Alec had no choice but to follow.

Magnus wondered if it was a good idea to follow the book, what if it was leading them into a trap? But it was the only lead they had. They had to take the chance.

“Magnus, why are we going this way?” Alec asked again. “It gets darker in here."

“It would get dark the other way too. I don't know what is on the end of this path, Alec. But I know we're meant to take this way.”

“If you're sure.” Magnus didn't reply. He wasn't sure, but it was the only thing he could do. It was better than walking blindly around the woods, although he supposed that was what he was doing right now. 

The path got slimmer and slimmer. Magnus started doubting his choice. This was definitely not the path they had come through. He thought about turning and heading back, but he had a feeling the path they had been following wouldn't be there anymore. The wood was like a labyrinth, a magical one. The paths kept changing, disappearing, appearing again somewhere else. 

The path suddenly came to a halt. Well, the path continued, but it went into a cave. The last thing they needed now was to get lost in a cave. “We should turn back,” came Alec's voice from behind him.

“We should,” Magnus agreed. “But we won't. We need to continue,” he said. “I think… there's something about these caves, Alexander. They're radiating dark energy.”

“Usually that would be someone's cue to leave,” Alec said. 

“I get a feeling we're gonna end up here anyway,” Magnus said with a sigh. “You wanted to find Edom. This is the way, I'm sure of it.”

“This is a bad idea.”

“It's the best plan we have.”

 

* * *

 

Alec didn't like this at all. This was a terrible,  _ terrible  _ idea. But Magnus was right, they had no other plan, and Magnus seemed so sure about this that Alec thought it would be okay. So they kept moving. 

“Magnus, could you...”

“Light things up?” asked Magnus just as a ball of blue light appeared in front of them. “Of course I can.”

“Thank you. And could you do something so we won’t lose each other in here?”

“You mean like put a rope between us? That's the best I can do. I'm sure there's some other way, but… well, I don't know it.” As Magnus spoke a line of shimmering blue made its way from his palm to Alec. It stopped a few inches in front of him, and it glowed in front of Magnus as well. “If we get lost we'll just have to follow the light,” he explained. 

“Okay,” Alec nodded. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want to lose my perfect prince in such a spooky place.” Alec was suddenly glad for the dim light, it made his blush less visible.

“Let's just go,” he said, setting Shadowhunter into motion.

Alec lost himself in the constant turns of the cave, he didn't know how much time passed, or where they were, or what direction was north and what was south. He didn't even know if it was in the middle of the day or middle of the night. 

That question was answered though when they turned around a corner and saw an exit from the cave, light by bright sunlight. As they got closer and closer Alec noticed it wasn't the sun that was shining, not only at least. The cave did end, open out to the woods. But only a few meters away from the opening was something else. Something glowing, almost like fire. Almost like Magnus's magic.

“Magnus… are you doing that?” Alec asked, nodding towards the red magic. 

“No,” Magnus said with a frown. “But it's definitely magic. Dark magic.”

“You can feel that or can you see something that I can’t?”

“I can feel it,” Magnus answered and jumped down from Jems back to move closer to the thing. “You can’t?”

“I’m not so sure. It feels weird, but I don’t think I could say that it’s dark magic. Now be careful and don’t get too close,” Alec said. Unsurprisingly, Magnus completely ignored him and stuck his hand inside the magic flame.

“It kinda, stings, but it's not terrible,” he said, pulling his hand out.

“Why did you do that?” Alec asked, a bit angry. “Anything could have happened, you could have gotten hurt or killed by it!”

“Sorry, I... Well, nothing happened. I'm fine and I really want to… well, step through and see what’s on the other side.”

“What? No! Magnus you can’t just step through, who knows where you’ll end up and how you can come back. I won’t let you… Please don’t.”

“Alec, we've been searching for a way to get into Edom. This is it,” Magnus said. “We will be fine, Alexander. I'll step through first and you follow if nothing happens, okay?”

“What? No. Magnus, this is insane.”

“All we've been doing is insane, Alec. This is just adding to that.”

“We could die, stepping through this thing.” 

“My hand is still here,” Magnus pointed out. “I know it sounds crazy, but it feels familiar. This magic, it feels almost like mine. I am almost certain this will lead to Edom.”

“Okay, and then what? What if this really leads us to Edom? What are we supposed to do then? Find Lilith and get me killed? I don’t plan on letting her win but… right now I don’t feel prepared enough for this fight of life and death”

“You'll never be ready, no one can ever be ready for something like this! If you really don't want to go through we won't. We can make a camp somewhere here, train till you feel ready. But the way I think that'll only be giving Lilith more time to prepare herself.”

“I know, honestly I know that I will probably never be fully ready for this, but at the moment… Magnus, no. I would not survive this today, please.”

“Okay. Let's find somewhere to camp then,” Magnus said with a sigh. “I'm sure there'll be a clearing here somewhere.”

“I... I feel like I'm supposed to say sorry now, but I honestly think that this is the best for today.” 

“Don't apologize,” Magnus said. “I get it. Let's sleep, eat, train, and we'll go when we're ready.”

“Thank you,” Alec said with a soft smile. “We can stay in the area, okay? So we don’t have to search for this place.”

“Yeah. But honestly, I think the woods would lead us back anyway,” Magnus said. “Let's just go find a place to make a camp.”

 

* * *

 

They found a clearing in only five minutes, the red magic could still be seen between the trees, that was how close they were. Magnus set up the camp so they didn’t have to use more energy on it. 

“I too tired today, let's just go to sleep? And cuddle? Tomorrow morning we will train, yeah?” 

“Yeah, okay. Let's go,” Magnus smiled, kissing Alec's cheek. He took his hand and pulled him into the tent. They undressed, kissing lazily as they did. Soon enough they were in their sleeping bags, still kissing and smiling, tired and nervous about what was about to come, but happy to be with each other right then.

 

* * *

 

 

They slept through the whole night, but when they woke up they still felt like they'd been awake for a week. “That thing is making it impossible to sleep properly,” Magnus complained.

“The red magic thing? You think that's what's doing this?”

“Dark energy makes people restless,” Magnus said. “It has its way of sneaking into people's mind and keep them thinking about it no matter what they're doing.”

“Well that makes sense,” Alec agreed and nodded.

“The quicker we get this over with the better,” Magnus said. 

“Alright, let’s train today and tomorrow we will go, okay? I just want to make sure I can use the runes and fight, and you should use your magic when we train, because I don’t think she will fight fair so I need to be prepared for everything.”

“Great. Let's start,” Magnus said with a snap of his fingers, getting them dressed in a second. They ate quickly, and once they were outside the red shimmer in the distance only helped in making them more restless, more anxious.

Alec drew his sword and Magnus got ready with his magic. 

“You should activate the runes first, maybe," suggested Magnus and tilted his head. He knew that this was an important training and he planned on giving it his best shot so Alec would really be ready for his fight with the queen of hell. 

“Yes, right,” Alec nodded. He fumbled in his pockets before pulling it out.

“And you should have it more at hand. Maybe if we could find a way to tie it to your belt…”  Magnus wondered. “But we'll think of that later.” Alec activated his runes, strength, stealth, endurance, and courage in combat. He had more, but he probably figured it wasn't necessary to activate all of them. 

“Ready?” Magnus asked, his hands lighting up and eyes flashing.

“Ready,” Alec confirmed. 

“Good,” Magnus grinned and felt his magic building up in his hands, rushing through him. He felt his eyes shining in their original color and he lifted his hands to create balls of fire which he threw at Alec.

Alec was taken by surprise but managed to dodge all of the balls. He charged at Magnus, his sword raised. Magnus protected himself from the sword with a wall of magic and hit Alec with one. Alec managed to mostly avoid it, but it grazed his shoulder. Since Magnus knew that in the end neither of them would get hurt he started to actually rather enjoy this, it was nice to let his magic be free and not hide who he was. He did send a few bolts of lightning in Alec's direction and then moved back when Alec came at him with the sword.

He didn't know how long it went on, only that they were both sweating and panting. Their movements got slower and slower, and after what was probably hours, they just stopped.

“I can’t move anymore, Alec,” Magnus panted and sank down into the grass.

“Oh, thank God,” Alec breathed out, letting go of his sword as he sat down as well. They didn't say anything for a while, both just trying to catch their breath. “I don't know if I can defeat Lilith when I couldn't defeat you. I barely even touched you,” Alec said.

“Well, she won’t play fair so why should you? I can help, so I'll use my magic to hold her back while you go in,” he suggested. “And you have been amazing.”

“Magnus… you are really powerful, but this is the queen of hell we're talking about. Do you think you can hold her back?”

“I don't know. But I'll try. I have to.”

“I want to believe that together we can do everything.”

“And we can. Imagine after we finish this. We will have defeated the queen of hell. There won't be anything we can't do after that.”

“That sounds nice,” Alec agreed.

“Let's go eat something. And drink. I'm thirsty,” Magnus said.  Alec nodded and they stood up to get something from their tent. Magnus was really exhausted, but he had liked this. He felt good.

“And Alec. You were really amazing. You can win, I know that,”

“Thanks, Magnus. It helps a lot to hear that,” Alec smiled. They brought the food and water outside and laid down in the grass, looking up at the sky as they ate.

“I love you,” Magnus said. “No matter what happens, I love you more than anything."

“I love you, too, Magnus. So much. And you are the reason I want to win, so I can spend the rest of my life with you by my side.”

“And after we finish the prophecy we can go back. I honestly don't care what your father says or thinks. And then, some day, you will be king, and you'll be the best king to ever lead.”

“Well I think my title will be _once and future king_ , won’t it?” Alec said with a chuckle and reached for Magnus’s hand. 

“You will be king forever. That would be nice, if we could be together forever.” 

“I don't think anyone can live forever, Magnus.”

“I think everything is possible.” Magnus protested.

“I guess. But let's just focus on this right now. We can think about everything later, once we get out of there alive.”

“Okay,” Magnus agreed. “But let's not focus too much on it,” he said with a smile, rolling over to kiss Alec, resting a hand on his waist.

“No...  let’s focus on something else for the moment,” Alec agreed and moved so he was lying closer to Magnus. Magnus smiled and pecked Alec's lips again. He cuddled close to him, resting his head on Alec's chest, positioned so he could hear Alec's heartbeat.

“You… just want to cuddle right now?” Alec asked.

“What are you suggesting?”

“Maybe something that would include going inside,” Alec said, looking down at Magnus. 

“Well, if you are suggesting what I think you are… then why do we need to hide in our tent? There is no one here who could see us.”

“You want to do it out here?”

“I don't see the problem,” Magnus smiled, raising an eyebrow as he looked up.

“There is none,” Alec said. “But we would still need to go get the stuff we need.” Magnus snapped his fingers, a vial of oil appearing in his hand. 

“You mean this?” Alec smiled.

“Yeah, that.” Alec then rolled them over so he was on top of Magnus. He leaned down to capture his mouth in a deep kiss.

Magnus smiled into the kiss, he loved Alec so much, and he really wanted Alec in that moment. He knew that this could be the last time they were together and he wanted it to be perfect. Magnus wanted to forget everything for a moment and just give all his love for this man.

Alec's hands sneaked up under Magnus's shirt, and Magnus shivered at the touch. He had a hand in Alec's hair, the other one still on his waist. Magnus smiled up at Alec and reached under his shirt so he could pull it up and then travelled his fingertips over his chest. “You are so beautiful” he whispered.

“Nothing compared to you,” Alec whispered back. 

“Don’t be so modest. You are the most beautiful man on this plant and I am so happy to have you,”  Magnus told him and pulled Alec down for a deep kiss. He snapped his fingers, making both their shirts disappear. 

“That eager, huh?” Alec teased as he pulled back from the kiss. 

“How could I not?” asked Magnus with a grin. “What do you want?” 

“I want you,” Alec said. “I want you in me.”

“As you wish,” Magnus said with a smile before kissing Alec again. “I can’t wait for it… but of course we will take our time”

Magnus started moving his hips as he kissed Alec, rubbing their cocks together through their pants and underwear. He let his hands moved over Alec's chest, into his hair and down to his ass and thighs.

“Magnus,” Alec moaned and closed his eyes for a moment before he looked into Magnus’s eyes. Magnus smiled and slowly pushed his hand under Alec's pants and slipped them inside his underwear to squeeze his butt.

“That’s what you call taking it slow,” Alec chuckled and shook his head.

“Is it going too fast? Do you want me to slow down?” Magnus teased.

“Don’t you dare,” Alec growled. “I love your idea of slow.” Magnus smiled and rolled them over so he was on top. 

“Good we agree,” he chuckled before kissing Alec again. 

Magnus kept rolling his hips so their growing erections kept rubbing against each other, causing Magnus to moan. Magnus thought about getting their pants off, and a second later he felt Alec's bare thighs against his. He really loved this whole magic thing, even if it surprised him sometimes. It seemed like Alec was surprised, too. He inhaled sharply before he chuckled and relaxed again. “Tell me about magically removing my clothes next time.” 

“Next time I get a heads-up, I will,” Magnus replied. “It has its own will sometimes.” Magnus pushed Alec's underwear down as well, and Alec did the same. Soon they were rubbing against each other with no layers between them. Magnus reached down and took Alec into his hand, stroking him slowly. 

“Fuck, Magnus, I...” Alec groaned.

“I know,” Magnus grinned. They had had sex a few times by that point and Magnus had learned a lot about Alec over the time. He knew what Alec liked and what drove him wild.

He reached for the oil and coated three of his fingers in it before reaching down to tease Alec with them. He pressed one inside to the first knuckle before pulling it out again. He chuckled when Alec tried to follow the finger.

“You know how this goes, relax and let me do this,” Magnus hummed and pushed his finger back in. 

“Well, don't slow down now,” Alec complained.

“Be patient,” Magnus retorted, stopping once he reached the second knuckle. He continued pressing inside after a moment as he felt Alec's muscles relax around his finger.

“I am always patient.”

“No, you are not” Magnus chuckled and twisted his finger before he pushed it in deeper. Alec moaned, his back arching, so Magnus assumed he had found that special place inside Alec. Magnus kept stimulating it, thrusting his finger in and out and aiming for that spot every time. Soon enough he was adding a second finger, and then a third. By the time he added the third finger Alec was whimpering and needy, just like Magnus. 

“Come on, Magnus. I'm ready,” he whined after a moment. Magnus didn't protests and instead pulled his fingers out, reaching for the oil again. He put some in his hand and spread it over his cock. He pulled Alec's legs up to his hips before leading himself to his hole. Magnus pressed inside slowly, giving Alec time to get used to it. Alec didn’t have to say anything, Magnus just knew when he was ready and so, just as Alec opened his mouth to say something, Magnus started to move. It didn't take long before Magnus was setting up a pace. He kept it slow, his thrusts smooth. Alec moaned and wrapped his arms around Magnus to hold him even closer. Magnus felt like he wanted to crawl into Alec and be as close as possible to him. Being like this was just amazing, and Magnus couldn’t think of anything he enjoyed more, except for their cuddling session after the sex, of course.

Magnus captured Alec's mouth in a kiss, hips speeding up a bit as he did. He felt Alec's hands all over his body, one in his hair and one teasing a nipple before moving on, down his chest and up to squeeze his ass. Magnus moaned into Alec's mouth started thrusting harder, faster. He pulled back from the kiss to kiss Alec's neck. 

He reached down to stroke Alec in time with his thrusts, and it didn't take long for Alec to tense up, moaning and arching his back as he came. Magnus followed suit a few seconds later. 

“How was that?” He asked as he caught his breath.

“Awesome as always,” Alec breathed out, still holding Magnus close.

“You were wonderful,” Magnus said and kissed Alec softly before lying down beside him.

 

* * *

 

Magnus and Alec were standing in front of the red magic, Magnus had started calling it a portal. Shadowhunter had been tied to a tree with enough slack to reach a small stream of water. They had also left plenty of food where they could reach it, so Alec was sure they would be fine. He want planning to take long anyway. And they would be back, he had to believe they would.

The tent had been packed down, as well as everything else. It had all been left with the horses. The only thing that had on them was a small bag with food and water, the soulsword, the small dagger Alec had given Magnus, Alec's bow and arrows, and his stele. They had found a way to have the stele at an easier place. Or rather, Magnus had managed to make a small pocket thing they could fasten to Alec's belt that the stele could be in. 

Now they were here, ready to step through this red fire in the middle of the woods, a portal that would probably take them to hell. 

Magnus insisted on stepping through first, and although Alec protested it did end up like that. Alec watched Magnus disappear into the flames, and after taking a deep breath he took a step forward and let himself be engulfed by if.

 


	21. Edom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry, this is so late! Two entire weeks... I've been really busy and tired lately, and I've had no motivation to write. This chapter is shorter, and they will be from now on... I hope you still enjoy the story though! Thanks for being patient. I'll let you get to it now.

When Alec stepped through the portal it felt weird, it was warm and everything was spinning for a moment. When he reached the other side he had to bend over and clutch his stomach. He felt sick. After a second he lifted his head again and looked for Magnus who was leaning against a tree. Obviously he had not been the only one who had an upset stomach from that travel. “Magnus? Are you alright?” Alec asked gently and slowly moved towards him to place his hand on his shoulder. 

“Hm, Yes. Yeah, I'm fine. This has just been very strange and my stomach didn’t like it… How do you feel?” he asked quickly. Alec just smiled and nodded.

“I’m feeling fine now. I mean it has been upsetting, but I’m okay,” he said and only then started to look around. It seemed to be a dessert, everything was covered in red dust or dirt, it wasn’t really sand but something like it. It wasn’t as warm as Alec had thought it would be but it was definitely a creepy place.There was a castle in the distance, it reminded Alec of the one he'd seen behind the fake walls of the glamour of Edom.

“So… I guess we go straight to the castle and get this over with?” he suggested and looked at Magnus who was now standing straight again and had a bit more colour in his face. It seemed like he was back to normal, which was good. 

“Yes… I think we will do that,” agreed Magnus.

“Oh no, I don’t think you will do that," said someone behind them. Alec and Magnus turned around and were faced with a tall man, dark hair, very exquisite clothes but what struck Alec first, were the man's eyes. They looked liked Magnus’s when he was doing his magic.

“Who are you?” Alec questioned, his hand on the hilt of his sword as he pretended to be much more confident then he really was. 

“Oh, come on, once and future king. You know who I am,” the man said.

“I have an idea, but it’s not possible. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Tell me, I’m sure it’s right."

“You’re Magnus’s father."

“What?” Magnus explained and stared at the man and then at Alec. “You’re Asmodeus?” 

“Yes, I am. I’m impressed that you know my name.”

“I’ve heard about you,” Magnus said before he looked at Alec. “How did you know?” 

“The eyes… you have the same when you do your magic,” Alec explained and bit his lip. He didn’t know if this was good or bad. 

“Well, enough of that. I guess you are here to fulfill your destiny, which is great. Lilith is horrible and once she is gone I will rule here, so I am willing to help you… And I don’t think that you know what you're getting yourselves into.” Magnus looked intently at the man, Alec wished he could tell what was going on inside his mind.

“You'll help us?” Magnus questioned. “Why? Just because you don't like Lilith?”

“Isn't that enough reason? But there is another reason, if you must know. I'm extremely bored, just waiting for something to happen.” 

“Magnus, if he's willing to help us, maybe we should let him,” Alec suggested. 

“But we shouldn't just trust him. He's a demon, Alexander.”

“He's your father!” Alec protested.

“He's not my father. He's just the man who impregnated my mother.” Meanwhile Asmodeus was looking at them with an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

“Well, boys. I don't have all day,” he said.

“Come on, Magnus. If anything happens we'll take him down, okay?” Magnus still looked doubtful, but agreed with a sigh.

They followed Asmodeus into his house. It looked like a castle inside, although not looking all that appealing outside. There were tall bookshelves and lots of books on the floor, everything was lit by candles. “Welcome to my palace,” Asmodeus said with a fake smile. “Sit down, sit down. I'll be back in a second,” he said before storming off into another room.

“I don’t think that this is a good idea Alexander.”

“But we can try it, Magnus. He’s your father, don’t you think you should give him a chance?”

“I don't know him, Alec. He's a stranger. And he's a demon. I just don't think he'll help us out of kindness.”

“He said Lilith was awful. Maybe he really wants to get rid of her.”

“I really don’t think so, but I trust you Alec, so... I guess I'll give him a chance.”

“Good,” Alec nodded. “And I promise, if anything happens we'll kill him. Or stop him, at least.” 

“That’s very nice of you. I should give him a chance because he’s my father, but if he does anything we don't like we kill him," Magnus said. 

“Then we have a deal,” Alec said just as Asmodeus came back into the room. 

“Oh, you haven't run away. How good. I was worried you would.” He had something in his hand and placed it on the table before sitting down as well. The thing turned out to be a map, which he spread open on the table. 

“So... first of all, we are here” he said and pointed at a spot on the map. “And Lilith is there,” he said and pointed to the other side of the map. “Edom seems huge, and it can be but most of the times it isn't so you can be there in a few hours” he explained. 

“Okay, so we know how to get there. What do we do once we find Lilith?” Magnus asked.

“You kill her, of course,” Asmodeus said.

“Oh, really? I hadn't thought of that!”

“I can't tell you how to do that. You have to figure it out yourselves.”

“So basically you're useless for us. All we want to know is how to actually kill her.”

“I'm sorry, my boy. But no one has ever killed Lilith before.”

“Well then, Alec and I will be on our way.”

“Oh, you can't leave yet,” Asmodeus said matter of factly.

“Yeah? Watch us,” Magnus said and took Alec's hand.

“I haven't told you everything yet,” Asmodeus said and leaned back in his chair.  “But by all means, be on your way.”

“What is it you haven't told us?” Alec asked.

“Sit down again and I'll tell you.”

Alec and Magnus sighted and then sat down again. “You have 5 minutes”

“Now, Magnus. That's not a way to speak to your father.” Magnus just rolled his eyes.

“Just say what you want to say.”

“You boys don't know what you're up against. Whatever you've faced till this point, Lilith is much, much worse. Do you even know what you're trying to stop her from?” Alec looked at Magnus. Did they know? He didn't remember any mention of what they were stopping her from, only that they had to stop her. “That's what I thought,” Asmodeus said. “Lilith is working on a way to get out of edom, and once she manages that I'm sure she has a very detailed plan on what to do with every single person on earth. I mean, it would be good for me, since she would be away from here but, there is one person I actually care about. I'm not sure when Lilith will be able to fulfil her plan either, and till then she is annoying and I would rather have her killed now than wait years.”

“Who is the person?” Magnus asked.

“Who? It's you, my dear boy.”

“Me? If you care so much, why were you never around, huh?”

“I had important business to take care of.”

“Business? You're a demon, what kind of business could you possibly need to do?”

“I'm the king of Edom, my boy. It keeps me busy.”

“You are a price of edom, not the king. You just want to be and maybe you will once Lilith isn’t alive anymore.”

“Yes. So I have a reason to help you, don’t I?” he grinned.

“I... I guess so” 

“Good we finally agree! Now, let me show you some of Lilith's history.”

 

* * *

 

Magnus lost track of time after about three hours. Asmodeus had gone on to tell them everything about Lilith, most of which Magnus already knew from his research. He tried to leave multiple times, but Asmodeus always called them back and insisted there was important information coming.

“This is a waste of time!” Magnus said for the nth time that day. “We could be in Lilith's castle already.”

“You could be dead already,” Asmodeus retorted. 

“You don't know that. And you clearly don't know how to defeat Lilith either, so this is pointless.”

“Well then. If you absolutely want to leave I will show you out. But not before you've paid me back.”

“Paid you back? For what, wasting our time?”

“For all the information I gave you. Everything comes with a price.”

“You told us nothing we didn't already know!” Magnus protested. 

“I took you in to my house and I've told you everything I know about Lilith. Now I want something in return.”

“And what's stopping us from just leaving?” 

“You could try. But don't forget that you're in my world and my house. And don't even think about fighting me. Your power came from me, I can easily take it away,” Asmodeus warned. Magnus didn't know what to say to that. Was it true? Could Asmodeus take away his power?

“Magnus, let's just give him what he wants,” Alec said after a minute. “What do you want?” He asked Asmodeus. 

“I just want to play,” Asmodeus said. Magnus didn't like his smirk at all. 

“Play? Play what?” Alec questioned. 

“A little game I like. Come on now, I'll show you.” Asmodeus walked away, and Alec and Magnus reluctantly followed.

“I told you something like this would happen!” Magnus whispered at Alec, his mind already going through everything Asmodeus could do to them. 

“He hasn't tried to kill us yet. Maybe he's just lonely,” Alec protested.

“He's a demon, Alexander! They don't have feelings!”

“You two realize I can hear you, right?” Asmodeus interrupted. Magnus shut up at that, and they walked the rest of the way in silence. 

Asmodeus led them to a small room, empty except for two chairs around a table in the middle of the room, two glasses on it. Something else came to Magnus's mind.  _ The second glass.  _ Did that have something to do with this?

“Go on, sit,” Asmodeus said. Magnus and Alec reluctantly took a seat, Alec's hand on the hilt of his sword. “The game is simple. Each of you must drink a glass.” Asmodeus snapped his fingers and the glasses were filled with clear liquid. “One of them is water, the other may kill you. Choose wisely.”

Alec caught Magnus's eyes, nodding towards Asmodeus as if asking for permission to attack him. Magnus shook his head softly. He was confident in his and Alec's joined powers, but Asmodeus was right. They would have a hard time taking out Lilith, if they managed at all. They didn't need to tire themselves out on Asmodeus first. 

_ The second glass.  _ How could that help him? The book had been right about the troll, it had led them here… but this just didn't make sense. The second glass? Second counting from the left? Second for him or for Alec? Did it mean the second glass was the water or the poisonous one? 

Magnus looked up at Alec. Alec was the one destined to kill Lilith, not Magnus. Maybe this was his destiny, to make it possible for Alec to reach his destination. Magnus smiled softly before reaching for the second glass, the glass on the left. He raised it to his lips and downed it in one go.


	22. Chapter 22

Magnus didn't know if he should be relieved or scared when the drink felt like fire running down his throat. It definitely wasn't water. Magnus vaguely heard glass breaking as it hit the floor. But could barely hear anything through his heartbeat loud in his ears and his coughing, his body trying to get the liquid out. Already his vision got unclear, black dots dancing before his eyes. Magnus looked up at Alec, wanting to apologize, to tell to go on. He knew Alec could take Lilith. His body had other plans though, and before Magnus could even open his mouth he was out, eyes rolling back into his head as he fell.

 

* * *

 

Alec reached out to stop Magnus as he reached for the glass, but Magnus had swallowed the liquid before Alec could do anything. He was left only to watch as Magnus dropped the glass and had to hold himself up by the table. He immediately ran to him, but Magnus was out before Alec could reach him. He managed to catch him before he hit the floor and then placed him down on the chair. He didn't need to check for Magnus's breathing, it was coming in small, audible pants. Alec checked for a pulse and saw it was going much quicker than usual. But still least it was there. He had to focus on that. 

“You said you cared about him!” Alec accused, turning to glare at Asmodeus. “Don't do this, don't hurt him. Please just heal him.”

“Oh, I can't,” Asmodeus said matter of factly. Like he hadn't just poisoned his son. “But there is something that can, and I have it in my castle.”

“Where?” Alec questioned immediately. 

“That's not up to me to tell you. This is all part of the game, little prince.” Alec ignored the name, it wasn't important right now. He had more pressing matters at hand.

“You're willing to let Magnus die for a stupid game?” Asmodeus leaned back in his chair with a chuckle. 

“I'm giving you a chance to save him and you're wasting it on yelling at me. He has half an hour at most. Tick tack.” 

“Magnus was right about you. You are a monster,” Alec growled, but turned on his heels and stormed out of the room. He had to find whatever could help Magnus. 

The castle was _ huge.  _ There was no way Alec could search it all in half an hour, especially when he had _ no idea _ what he was looking for. Alec skipped the whole section with books. Even if there was anything that could help in them there Alec would never have time to read them all. Even if he just read the first phrase he probably wouldn't get through more than a tenth of them. 

He walked past an empty room, quickly looked through what seemed like a kitchen, ran through a hall with no doors, searched a room stacked with books and things Alec didn't have a name for.  He didn't know if he could find his way back to Magnus by now, but he kept looking. 

It felt like hours when Alec opened the door to a room in which he found a bed and a sink and a cupboard full with glass bottles. It looked a lot like the infirmary at the castle in Idris. 

“Magnus got poisoned so maybe I’ll find something here,” he thought out loud and began searching this room a bit more thoughtful. He looked at all the bottles and after a bit, he found a book labeled: “Spells, poisons and their reverses” 

“Come on, there must be something here,” he mumbled to himself as he flipped through the pages. The problem was just that Alec didn’t really know what poison Magnus had taken. There wasn't any cure for transparent liquids, and without knowing the name Alec would never find the cure. Still, he flipped through the pages, desperate to find anything. That was when he remembered something Magnus once told him. "You need the poison to make an antidote and usually you can take the poison itself to create that by adding a few basic things”

He remembered what ingredients Magnus had mentioned and started looking around in the room, specifically the cupboard. Alec found most of the ingredients, and things he hoped could replace what he didn't find. He put it all in a bag and raced back to the room Magnus was in. He got lost a few times, but found it eventually. He ignored Asmodeus and refrained from pulling out his sword and cutting his head off. Maybe he would do that later but for the moment he sat down next to Magnus and got out all the things he had carried back. He then looked closer at the shattered glass, hoping to find some residue liquid. He found a piece of glass with a drop on it and dropped it into the bowl he'd brought. Next he mixed in the rest of the ingredients but then realized he really had no idea what to do and so he stopped. He considered asking Asmodeus for a second, but discarded the thought immediately. This man was the reason they were in this situation so he would not ask him. He tried to remember what Magnus had told him, what he'd seen him do. He'd mixed the ingredients, right? He'd crushed them and added water till it was a liquid, Alec was sure that's what he'd done. Once he had achieved this he looked at the mixture and then at Magnus, who was still panting so Alec knew he was at least still alive. Was there anything else he had to do? He thought very hard but couldn’t think of anything else so he picked up the bowl and moved over to Magnus. 

“Hey, you're okay, you're okay,” he whispered cupping Magnus's cheek.

“Careful what you give him now,” came Asmodeus voice from behind. “Anything that isn't the antidote will make the effect quicker. And more painful.” Alec tried to ignore him as he placed the bowl at Magnus's lips. He tilted the bowl back urging Magnus to drink it. Most of it ran down his chin, but some of it Magnus actually swallowed.

Magnus didn't show any sign of getting better, but he didn't seem to be in pain either. Alec caressed his cheek as he watched for any reaction, fear and worry surging through him. Suddenly Magnus started coughing, and Alec turned his head just before he emptied his stomach on the floor. Alec hoped the poison had left his body along with everything else. 

“Will he be okay?” He asked Asmodeus, still holding himself back from stabbing him.

“Only time will tell,” Asmodeus replied, chuckling. Alec picked Magnus up, he couldn't be in the same room as the demon. He carried Magnus to the room they had been in earlier and laid him down on the couch carefully. He then reached into the bag in which he'd brought the ingredients for the cure and grabbed the bottle of water. He held Magnus's head up as he tilted the bottle. He was relieved to see Magnus swallowed most of it. That had to mean he was getting better, right?

“You're okay, Magnus. You'll get through this, okay? I promise you'll be fine,” Alec whispered, holding Magnus's hand tightly. He just hoped Magnus would wake up as soon as possible so they could leave this damn place. 

Magnus's breathing had calmed and was now almost normal. Alec checked his pulse and felt that it was slower now. Slower than it should be. But it was there, and it was persistent and steady. That was all Alec could hope for.

  
  


* * *

 

Magnus was on fire. He felt like he couldn't breathe, his heartbeat was the only thing he could hear. He couldn't hear his own thoughts, but even if he could it probably wouldn't make sense. 

Suddenly something cold ran down his throat. Magnus vaguely felt something on his cheek, but couldn't think much of it as suddenly his throat was on fire again as everything came up. The taste was left of Magnus's mouth, but his stomach calmed, his heartbeat slowed down, and suddenly breathing wasn't so hard. 

Now he was floating between dreams and reality. One second he could see his mother telling him how disappointed she was, and then suddenly Alec's soft voice. And again he drifted off back to Idris where Alec's father, king Robert, was waiting. He could hear his voice clear in his head, “This man has been proven guilty of using magic and witchcraft. The punishment for using and practicing these arts is death.” He could almost feel flames flickering against his skin, could feel himself burning. And he cried out, gasping and screaming for  _ someone  _ to help him. And just as he felt like he would die Alec would be back with soft touched and words.  _ It's okay _ , he would whisper.  _ You're here, you're safe _ , Magnus heard him say. And Magnus believed him. 

It was hours later, after countless of nightmares and more nightmares, only interrupted by Alec trying to comfort him. Magnus's eyes opened ever so slowly, adapting to the light. He had to take a moment to just breathe. His head was still pounding and his whole body was aching. And yet instead of hearing Alec's voice, the first thing he heard was Asmodeus.

“Look at that. Seems you managed,” he said. “You saved my boy. As a reward, you'll both get to leave alive.” 

“I swear, I'm gonna kill you,” he heard Alec growl. 

“Alec,” he called out, his voice soft and weak. Alec turned immediately, face soft as he leaned over Magnus. “Hey, it's okay. I'm here, you're okay,” he said, stroking Magnus's cheek. “Are you thirsty? Hungry?” He asked. Magnus shook his head softly. “You just lay there then, okay? I'll be right back,” he promised. So Magnus laid back, let his eyes close, and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

* * *

 

Alec turned to Asmodeus as Magnus closed his eyes. His hand was resting on the hilt of his sword. “I'm gonna kill you,” he growled again. Asmodeus chuckled.

“Well, little prince. I'm not stopping you,” he said, opening his arms. 

“After I end Lilith I'm gonna come for you,” Alec promised, not about to get into a fight he knew he couldn't win. He turned on his heels, picked Magnus up carefully, and left the castle, hoping he would never have to see it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is late again. Sorry. But at least it's a day an not an entire week, right? I'm sorry either way, but here it is at least.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I haven't managed to update regularly, as I'm sure you've all noticed. I'm really sorry, as I've said before. I just don't have as much time to write anymore. I started this story by posting a chapter every Sunday, but because of my lack of time I'm gonna have to change that to every second Sunday. I'm really sorry and I hope you all understand.

Alec wasn’t sure how long he walked, Magnus in his arms. All he knew was that by the time Magnus started waking up Asmodeous's home was far away and Lilith’s castle looked less than a few hours from them.

He stopped when Magnus started moving and laid him down on the ground, sitting down beside him. He gave him some water and drank some himself while waiting for him to wake up.

 

* * *

 

 

Magnus woke up slowly. At first he could just feel. He could feel that he was in motion, and then suddenly he wasn't. He was thankful when he felt water run down his dry throat. 

A while later he slowly opened his eyes to be met with only red. Red sky, red sand. Only Alec separated himself with his dark hair and pale skin. Magnus blinked a few times to get used to the light before moving to sit up. Almost immediately he felt a hand on his shoulder, supporting him.

“Are you okay?” Alec asked, worried eyes studying Magnus’s face. 

“I’m fine, Alexander,” Magnus told him, giving him a soft smile. “How did we get here? Did you carry me all this way?” he questioned. 

“It wasn’t really that far,” Alec said with a shrug. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want some water? Food?” He asked. Magnus shook his head. 

“I promise I’m fine. I just have a small headache, but it’ll wear off,” he assured him. 

“Okay. If you’re sure. Let’s rest for a while before we go to Lilith,” Alec said. 

“Alexander, we should end her as soon as possible. If Asmodeus was telling the truth and she’s looking for a way out of Edom… what if she finds it? We can’t let that happen.”

“But if we go now we’ll most likely get killed!” Alec protested. “It’s better if we wait a little, rest and get our forces back,” he said. 

“Fine,” Magnus sighed. “But just a little bit.” 

“Thank you.” Alec pulled Magnus close to him, kissing his forehead before lying back on the uncomfortable ground. But at least they were both there, comfortable in each other’s presence. 

Magnus didn’t fight it, but let himself be pulled down. He cuddled close to Alec, resting his head in the crook of his neck and placing a few kisses there. He closed his eyes and once again drifted off.

 

* * *

 

Alec tried not to fall asleep. He couldn’t sleep in enemy territory, especially not considering Magnus was asleep as well. But after a while he couldn't stop as his eyes drooped shut and he slowly lost consciousness of his surroundings. 

He woke up again a little while later, Magnus still asleep on top of him. Alec was sure he’d heard something… but as he looked around himself he saw no one. He carefully pushed Magnus off him and stood up, hand on the hilt of his sword. But still there was no one, nothing. Slowly Alec sat down again, still alert. 

Magnus slept soundly, probably still healing from the poison. Alec watched over him, letting his mind wander. He wondered what was going on back in Idris. He wondered what his father thought of him, and if he would ever change his mind. Where were they supposed to go after this? If Magnus still wasn't allowed to come back, what would they do? Alec was the prince, he still had his duty. He loved Magnus, more than he ever thought was possible. If it came down to choosing between his responsibilities and Magnus, what choice would he have? He’d made peace with living without love a long time ago, he’d almost forgotten about the feeling of denying himself. Could he ever go back to believing that? To believe that he could live without anyone by his side? Would he even make a good king if he wasn’t happy? His father had lost his wife, and in return, he’d banned an entire species, an entire culture. If Alec gave up on Magnus, would he be any better? 

Alec was pulled out of his thoughts by a sound. It hadn’t come from Magnus. It had been the same sound as earlier. Alec was sure this was the sound that had woken him. It sounded like a growl, but Alec didn’t see anything capable of making that noise. It was just him and Magnus, and endless plains of red sand. Alec heard the sound again. It sounded like it was coming from… over them? 

Alec looked up and couldn’t hold back a gasp. There, right over their heads, was a big, dark red dragon. Alec didn’t understand how he hadn’t seen it earlier, or heard it. It was so big, yet so silent. Alec wondered if there was some kind of magic in the picture. 

Alec stared at the dragon. He completely forgot everything his father had told him about them being evil, dangerous, beasts. But Alec didn’t see any of that in this. 

The dragon landed silently in front of them. In a way, it reminded Alec of a cat. Its eyes were slitted, almost like Magnus’s real ones. Except where Magnus’s glowed of molten gold the dragon had a soft red. 

It stood a little away from them, tail swishing slowly from side to side as red eyes looked them both over. Alec didn’t make any move for his sword when it approached slowly. 

It had a muzzle, like a horse, just much bigger. It had two horns, but they weren’t bent forwards like the ones of a bull. These were short, bent backward, and elegant. Almost like they were more for aesthetic than for defending. The wings were feathered in different shades of red and orange. Despite being covered in scales, the rest of the body seemed just as soft as the wings. Alec wanted to reach out and touch it, but didn’t want to scare the dragon. He kept his distance and let it come closer at its own pace. 

The dragon approached Magnus, and Alec instinctively reached for his sword. But it only ran its muzzle softly over Magnus’s body, almost as if trying to comfort him. It turned to Alec after a while, and it looked like it was going to approach before a scream tore itself through the air. Not a human scream, no human could have made that sound. The dragon looked up, scared, before taking flight. It flew towards the castle just as silently as it had come. 

Alec felt his blood run cold when the dragon landed on top of one of the towers, barely visible. What if the dragon worked for Lilith? It had a perfect color, could blend in with the sky and scout her surroundings. If Lilith knew about the prophecy she would try to stop it, right? What if the dragon was now gonna tell Lilith where they were? Could they fight her off if they were taken by surprise? Or even if they weren't, could they defeat her if she knew they were coming? 

Alec shook away his thoughts as he saw Magnus started moving. He moved to sit by his side, gripping his hand tightly. “Hey there, you’re okay,” Alec said softly, pushing a strand of hair away from his forehead. It took only a few minutes before Magnus opened his eyes. “How are you feeling?” Alec asked almost immediately. 

“‘M fine,” Magnus mumbled. He looked fine as well, so Alec sat back with a sigh. 

“You can rest a little longer if you want,” he told him, looking up at the sky again, almost expecting to see the dragon there. 

The sky was empty. 

 

* * *

 

Magnus felt like he was flying. Ever since he’d opened his eyes. Not in a bad way, on the contrary. He felt better than ever. The headache from the poison was gone. All his muscles that had been sore from riding and practicing were relaxed, where he had earlier felt his magic nearing its end he now felt like he was twice as strong as he had been. 

He sat up slowly, looking at Alec. “What’s going on?”  he asked as he saw Alec looking up at the sky.

“Nothing,” Alec said, not that Magnus was convinced. “Are you ready to go?” Alec then asked, looking at Magnus. Magnus felt like there was something he wasn’t telling him, but decided it was nothing. They were about to go kill the queen of hell, Alec had the right to be acting weird. 

“I guess,” he finally said, standing up. “Lead the way, my prince.”

Alec turned to the castle, hesitating for a second before he started walking. Magnus didn't know what had caused it, but not only was he feeling excellent physically, his mood was also much better. He had more faith now that they would defeat Lilith than he'd had before he fell asleep. It was like something calm had been laid over him, like some kind of energy keeping his soul calm. 

Magnus wondered how long they had to walk. The castle seemed like it was moving. Sometimes it was right ahead of them, and then suddenly it seemed an entire day away.

“Is it just me or is the castle moving?” Magnus asked and looked at Alec. “Hey... it’s all going to be okay,” he said gently and took Alec's hand. 

“Yeah, I know,” Alec mumbled. “I'm just… I mean, what if something happens? What if you… I won't be able to live with myself if you get hurt,” he confessed.

“Alexander, don’t let this confuse you. You will win and I will be fine,” Magnus promised. 

“I want to believe that, Magnus. I really do. But what chance can we possibly have against the queen of hell?” Magnus cupped Alec's cheek, turning his head to look into his eyes.

“If anyone can do it it's us. It's your destiny to kill her, there is nothing to stop you.”

“You seem so sure about this… How can you know?” Alec asked.

“I feel it, Alexander. I've never been more certain about anything,” Magnus said, squeezing Alec's hand softly.

Alec smiled a bit and nodded. 

“You have to believe in it as well.” 

“I try, I really try.”

“I know, Alexander. Now let’s go kick Lilith’s ass, huh?” 

“Yeah, let’s go,” Alec agreed with a soft smile. 

 

* * *

 

They walked for a few hours, and the castle eventually seemed to be getting closer. Alec was nervous, but he held on tightly to Magnus’s faith in them. Once the castle seemed less than an hour away they stopped to rest and eat. 

Something that never left Alec’s thoughts was the dragon. He kept wondering what it had done and if it was telling Lilith about them. If Lilith had dragons on her side, how could they possibly win? Alec knew he should tell Magnus about the dragon, he really should. Magnus deserved to know what they were up against. But he looked so hopeful… Alec didn’t want to crush it. He would tell him. Soon. Once they reached the castle.

Soon enough they were back to walking. Red sand under them, red sky over them. The castle was a brown color, the only thing that wasn’t red. 

“I hate it here, everything looks the same and it’s too warm and I just want to get this over with," Alec mumbled.

“I know what you mean,” Magnus agreed with a sigh. “We’ll be out of here soon.”

Again they walked in silence, the castle approaching till it eventually was right in front of them. The walls around it were like the walls around Idris, but that was where the resemblance stopped. The castle was dark, there was no lights in the windows, nothing. No people around the castle, no knights and no servants. No horses, no animals, no life. Alec definitely didn’t like it. 

“Well, we can’t exactly back down now,” Magnus said after a moment of silence.

“Well, we could, but we wouldn’t exactly have anywhere to go. I have no idea how we’re supposed to get out of here.”

“We’ll think of that later,” Magnus said, not sounding very worried about it. Alec didn’t get how he could stay so calm.

“Okay then… let’s go,” Alec finally said. They stepped inside the walls together. Alec eyed the tall towers, wondering whether the dragons were hiding there or somewhere else. Would they come from inside the castle? From the sky? It was driving Alec crazy. 

“Alec… will you tell if you are just nervous about Lilith or if there is something else you are not telling me about?” Magnus asked.

Alec looked down again, shaking his head. He had to tell him. Now. He knew how much Magnus wanted to help the dragons, how he felt about them being used in the war… now he could be forced to kill them. “There might be dragons in there,” he finally said. 

“Really?” Magnus questioned, a huge grin spreading over his face. “That's great! They can help us.”

“No, Magnus. I think the dragons are on her side, Lilith’s side. We… we might have to kill them,” Alec said. 

“What? No. We can’t kill the dragons. They can help us,” Magnus insisted. 

“What? How do you think they can help us? Magnus, they are her pets.”

“Dragons aren’t anyone’s pets. If anything they’re prisoners. Alec, the dragons might help us win this! There’s no way Lilith can fight me, you, and a bunch of dragons at the same time.”

“Well, what if you’re wrong? Us fighting Lilith is already impossible, now imagine a bunch of dragons against us as well.”

“Let’s just go,” Magnus said with a sigh, moving towards the castle again. “Whatever happens, at least we’re together.”

“Yes, at least we are together.” They reached the door, and Magnus placed a hand on the handle. 

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready,” Alec nodded. Without further hesitation, the door was opened. 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel terrible for posting so irregularly. I feel like I'm becoming one of those who abandons a fic halfway through. I swear I'm trying to update regularly, I just really don't have as much time anymore. I know I apologise basically every time, but I just want you all to know it really is because I don't have time, and not because I want to leave you waiting on purpose.

Alec didn’t know what he’d been expecting. Lilith, ready to fight, surrounded by fire-breathing dragons, maybe? Definitely not this. Not silence. Not nothing. The room was big, but dark and empty. There was nothing there for Lilith to be hiding behind, but that meant there wasn’t anything there for them to hide behind either. Alec drew his sword, looking around as if Lilith would suddenly appear right there.

“Magnus, can you… feel her?” he asked in a whisper. His voice echoed loudly in the room, and Alec winced at the thought of Lilith hearing it. She didn’t know they were there, or at least she wasn’t attacking them yet. The element of surprise was the best shot they had at this.

“No,” Magnus replied, whispering as well. “But I can feel… something,” he said, frowning.

“What is it? Is it something bad?” Alec asked.

“No, I don’t think so. It’s calming. I can't explain it, it’s…” Magnus faded out with a shake of his head. “Let’s go. I think it’s this way,” he said, nodding towards a hallway. It seemed like a random choice for Alec, but he followed him anyway.

The corridor was dark, and Alec was thankful when Magnus's hands lit up. The corridor ended in another room, this one separating into three other halls, as well as the one they had come through. “Any idea which way to go now?” Alec asked.

“Something telling me it's through that corridor, but I don't know if we should trust my gut,” Magnus said.

“Well, your gut is the only thing we have, so it's better than nothing.”

With that they walked into the corridor Magnus had pointed at. This one was brighter, although Alec couldn't tell where the light was coming from. It also seemed to be getting warmer, but Alec blamed that on his nerves.

As they kept moving Alec's mind drifted off and he found himself thinking of his siblings. What were they doing right now? Were they thinking about him? Would he ever see them again? Alec shook his head to get the thoughts away. It would do him no good to dwell over that now. He needed to be focused. _Focus!_

It was getting warmer, it was definitely getting warmer. What if it was the dragons? Dragons breathed fire, right? If the dragons showed up Alec would have to fight them alone. He was sure Magnus wouldn’t hurt them, he was convinced they wouldn’t hurt them. Alec wanted to believe that, but these dragons were working for Lilith. Why would they ever help them?

Alec held his sword high. He could feel Magnus’s magic crackling around them. He was nervous, he wouldn’t deny that. But he couldn’t let it overtake him. He had to stay focused, had to look out for Magnus, had to defeat Lilith and the dragons. He needed to stay focused.

“Magnus… whatever happens, promise you'll look after yourself,” Alec said, his voice low, scared someone would overhear.

“We'll be fine, Alexander. Don't lose faith this,” Magnus replied, not lowering his voice at all. How could he not be worried? They were about to face the queen of hell, and Magnus looked like they were hunting bunnies.

“Just promise you’ll take care of yourself. Please.” The silence around them was unnerving, and Alec wanted to break it. But what would he say? Finally, Magnus answered.

“I promise I’ll be fine,” he said. Alec only nodded, and a second later the hallway opened into a room.

Alec couldn’t ignore how hot the room was, and there was no way Magnus wasn’t feeling it either. And yet he was smiling. Even if he thought the dragons might be on their side, why would he be smiling _now?_ They were most likely about to die, and Magnus was acting like it was nothing. Alec didn’t know if he was jealous or worried.

Magnus only smiled, and he gestured for Alec to follow him before he started walking again, into a dark corridor. They stopped outside a door, one identical to all the other ones.

“Is it in there?” Alec asked.

“Yeah,” Magnus said with a nod, not a hint of doubt in his voice.

“How do you know?” Alec questioned.

“I just do.” It was said matter of factly. Like he’d just told Alec he bought red apples instead of green ones.

“Magnus, are you sure about this? Maybe it is a trap,” he said.

“It’s not, Alexander. Trust me.” Alec did trust Magnus. Probably more than anyone else, especially outside family. He nodded, silently telling Magnus to go on. Magnus opened the door, and even Alec could feel the dark energy radiating from the room. He looked inside, not quite sure what he was expecting.

The woman had her back to them and was dressed in a long, black dress. She might have been anyone, if they were at the castle Alec wouldn't have looked twice at her.

Alec held his sword tightly as he stepped into the room, trying to stay as silent as possible. He wondered if he could sneak up on the queen and cut her head off without her even noticing before it was too late. He gave up on that when she turned, eyes boring into Alec.

“Well, well. What do we have here? If it isn’t the once and future king. I’m impressed you have made it this far,” she said, her voice almost sweet. Not at all how Alec expected her. “I think you deserve a reward for being so good, so I’ll make you a deal. Leave now and I’ll let you leave.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” Alec said, raising his sword. He charged at the queen, hoping to take her by surprise. She flicked him to the side easily, and Alec would have hit the wall if Magnus hadn’t caught him with his magic. It put him down gently. The queen was looking at Magnus now, an interested look in her eyes.

“And who might this be? So much power… you don’t even know how to use it right,” she said.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You have much more power than you think, warlock. Maybe if you knew how to control it you could actually defeat me, but like this? You have no chance. Leave while you can.”

“You can’t scare us away,” Magnus said with a glare. “Surrender willingly or we’ll have to take you down.” The queen’s laugh echoed through the room, and Magnus didn’t even try to hold himself back as he lashed out.

The blue burst of magic would be enough to knock anyone into the wall hard enough to knock them out cold, and yet Lilith simply waved her hand at it, dodging it into a wall. “Like I said, pathetic.” She flicked her wrist, and Magnus was thrown against a wall, hitting a mirror with such force that it smashed. Alec ran, not sure if he wanted to attack the queen or help Magnus, he wanted both. But before he could do anything a table was pushed into his way and pressed him up against the wall. “Well, this has been nice, but I have a ritual I need to finish,” she said before walking out of the room, leaving Alec pressed against the wall and Magnus—hopefully—unconscious. After a few minutes, the table stopped pressing Alec against the wall, and Alec immediately ran to Magnus.

“Hey, Magnus, it’s okay. You’re okay now,” he said, pulling Magnus away from the shattered glass. He was relieved to see Magnus hadn’t been stabbed by any of them, although some had left some cuts on his back. None were deep though, and they weren’t bleeding much, so they didn’t need immediate attention. Magnus had hit his head pretty hard, but there was no blood, luckily. Alec was scared he might have a concussion, but at least his pulse was relatively steady and his breathing was there.

What should Alec do? He had to stop Lilith. She said she had a ritual to finish, what if that was what Asmodeus had told them about? What if she was opening a portal out of Edom? Alec couldn’t let that happen, Magnus wouldn’t want that. But he couldn’t just leave Magnus here.

After a moment Alec decided to take Magnus with him, and he threw him over his shoulder so he could carry him and still have his sword in his hand, ready to defend both himself and Magnus.

Now, as he walked through the castle, Alec could feel Lilith’s dark energy. He didn’t get how he hadn’t felt it earlier, it was like a cold stream of air that went straight into his soul.

Alec followed it, and it led him to a big room with ceilings as tall as the sky. Alec set Magnus down by one of the walls, making sure he would be fine before moving on. Lilith was standing in the middle of the room over some golden, egg-shaped thing. She was saying something in a weird language. Whatever it was it couldn’t be good.

Again Alec tried to approach without her noticing, but either she could sense his energy or she had a really good hearing, because before Alec could even think of doing anything she turned around. “You again? I thought you would have some sense and stay away.”

“You hurt Magnus. I’m not letting you get away with that,” Alec replied.

“Oh well. I didn’t want it to come to this, but I’m afraid I have no choice.” With that Lilith snapped her fingers.

At first Alec didn’t see what had happened. He thought maybe Lilith had snapped her fingers just to scare him, maybe it was all just a bluff. But then he heard a loud roar. Alec felt his heart sink in his chest. He couldn’t defeat a dragon all alone, and even if he did it would probably give Lilith enough time to finish the ritual.

He looked up and saw it was the same, red dragon he had seen earlier. But it wasn’t alone. There was another, a light blue one, as well. Alec was definitely screwed. But much to Alec’s surprise, the dragons didn’t fly towards him, nor did they aim for him. Instead, the blue one sent a wave of flames straight towards a wall.

A wall on the edge of the room, basically in the corridor.

The corridor Alec had come through.

The wall where he had left Magnus.

Before Alec had time to react at all, Magnus was surrounded by a wall of flames.  


	25. The end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy I managed to update on time for once! This is really short, but it's also the end. There will be an epilogue soon and that will be the end of this story.

Alec didn’t have time to scream or yell. Alec didn’t have time to run to him, to get him away. Alec didn’t have time to do anything other than watch. Watch the flames, fire so hot he could feel it even multiple feet away. Watch as they engulfed Magnus, the love of his life. The man who saved him from loneliness, from himself. The man who had promised to be with him, always. And now Alec was watching him burn. 

But instead of sadness, which was expected, Alec was filled with rage. He turned to the queen, the fire still burning behind him. He couldn’t look at it anymore, not before he’d killed her. It was her fault, everything. It wasn’t even about Alec’s destiny anymore. It was about revenge.  

“You killed him.”

“I merely called on my pets,” the queen said, not minding Alec at all. “They chose who to burn. A pity, really. The boy would have been a powerful ally. But, oh well. Can't have everything now, can we?” Alec charged at her, sword raised. He knew it was stupid, this time would go just like all the other ones, with Alec pushed aside with a simple flick of her wrist. 

Alec had been just inches from her when the sword flew out of his hand. It wedged itself into the wall on the other side of the room and didn’t move more. 

“Now I’m afraid I’ll have to kill you. You should have left when you had the chance.” The queen snapped her fingers, and Alec didn’t even try to fight it. Magnus was dead. What was the point? He couldn’t defeat her anyway. It didn’t matter. But then a moment passed. And then another one. Alec’s heart was beating like crazy in his chest, but still, nothing happened. Lilith snapped her fingers again. What was going on? 

“That’s not possible,” she said, her eyes wide as she looked at… Alec turned to follow her eyes. The sight that met him was… Alec didn't even know what to think.

Magnus. Magnus was there. His eyes were glowing brightly, like a fire had been lit in them. His whole body was glowing blue, especially his hands. Sparks were flying around him. Alec had never seen him like this. Alec never thought he’d see him again. 

“Magnus, you…” Alec didn't finish the sentence. He didn't know how. Magnus didn't say anything, but he smiled softly at Alec. That was when Alec realized he was really there, he was really fine. Alec nodded and rushed over to the sword and pulled it out of the wall. He had something he needed to do.

In the meantime, Magnus raised his hands, and a blue wall of fire appeared around Lilith. “I'll distract her,” Magnus yelled, and Alec nodded. They could take her down. Together. 

Alec raced towards Lilith, fully intent on ending her right then. But before Alec could reach her again she flicked her wrist. Alec expected to be thrown into a wall, like before, but this time something caught him. A warm, familiar energy. He was set down on the ground. 

“Magnus, I can't reach her,” he said. 

“Well, find a way. I can't keep her busy for long!” Magnus was dodging attacks from Lilith and trying to get some in himself. Alec watched closely and when the second dragon came back and threw a fireball at Lilith, which forced her to move, and Magnus shot his magic in the same moment, he knew that this was his chance. He raised the sword and ran towards her. She had to use her own magic to protect herself from Magnus so her protection against him was gone. Alec knew that this wouldn’t stay for long and so he ran faster then he had ever run before. 

“Alec! Now!” Magnus yelled, straining to keep Lilith's shield down. Alec ran even faster, and when he reached Lilith he didn't hesitate. He pushed the sword directly into her heart.

Alec watched Lilith go limp under him, and he pulled the sword out of her. “Magnus, we did it!” He exclaimed, turning to Magnus. Magnus was on his knees, breathing heavily. The red dragon, the one Alec had seen earlier, was beside him. At first, Alec wasn't sure what it was doing, should he attack it? And how was Magnus still alive at all? 

But then he saw the dragon wasn't hurting him, it was  _ supporting _ him. Holding him up, giving him strength. Alec rushed over to be by Magnus’s side, to make sure he was okay. 

“I'm fine,” Magnus said after a moment. “Just… just give me a minute.”

“Are you sure? You don't look fine.”

“I just… the dragons lent me some of their energy, but I have none of my own left. I just need to sleep, charge up,” he said.

“Of course… How can we get out of here? Get you somewhere where you can sleep?”

“The dragon said he could take us,” Magnus gestured towards the blue dragon behind them.  “They all want to leave.”

“They? How many are there? Magnus, I know you like them and they helped us but… can we bring dragons into our world? Are they not dangerous?” 

“You forget that our world used to be full of dragons. They lived in peace with everyone. They weren't the ones to start the war. I thought there was only one left, but he just told me there are plenty here. Five grown, three small. And he says there's a bunch of eggs.”

“And you want to take them all?”

“We can't leave them here, Alec. And they're our only way out of here.” 

“How are we supposed to carry those eggs?”

“I don't know. We could try to make a saddlebag for them,” Magnus suggested. “But first I need…  we have to find a room. I need to rest,” Magnus said, trying to stand up.

“Yes of course. Sit on... his? Back and maybe they know a place for you to sleep,” Alec suggested. “Oh, and... maybe they can burn Lilith? So there won’t be a decomposing corpse lying around?”

“Of course. The blue one, he says his name is Elgdor. The red one’s name is Litho. They're… well, I don't think there's a word for it. Mated, I guess.”

“They are a couple?” Alec asked and looked at the dragons. “Okay, well since you seem to understand them… could you ask them to burn her and then bring us to a place where you can sleep for a while before we can finally go back home?” Magnus was silent for a moment before the red dragon approached them again. Alec helped Magnus get on her back so she could carry him before she started walking. Alec felt the heat from the flames behind him and knew the other dragon was burning Lilith's corpse.

She led them to a small but cozy room, and she laid Magnus down on the bed as carefully as his own mother would. 

“Thank you,” Alec said and then went over to lay by Magnus’s side. He couldn’t believe that they really did it, that they won. The dragon let out a warm breath before moving out, leaving them alone. Alec hugged Magnus close, really relaxing for the first time in days.


	26. Once upon a time...

“Dad, daddy! Look! I did it!” 

Alec smiled, following his son as he was pulled along. “Look!” Rafael said, pointing at the target where an arrow was standing straight in the middle. 

“Wow! I’m so proud of you, Rafa!” Alec exclaimed, picking him up and hugging him tight. “You’ll be an excellent archer in no time,” he told him. 

Rafael had been practicing with his bow pretty much every day since he had gotten it for his 10th birthday. Or what they assumed was his birthday, anyway. He’d been about three years old when they found him, but since they had no idea when he was born they just made the day they found him his birthday. It had been three weeks now, since they celebrated his 10th birthday. And this was first time he hit bullseye. 

“Go tell papa,” he suggested, putting Rafael down. As soon as Rafael was on the ground the little boy ran as fast as his legs could take him, and disappeared through a door into the castle. 

Alec sat back on a bench nearby, smiling to himself. It had been almost 10 years since he and Magnus had come home, riding back from their quest to defeat Lilith, and Alec had never been happier. 

_ “Oh my god! Jace, come quickly!” Izzy’s voice had been the first thing Alec had heard as he and Magnus rode onto the place in front of the castle. Something had been wrong, the place was covered with black flags and most people in the city before the cadtel were wearing black clothes. As if they were in mourning. Alec wanted to ask Izzy about that. A minute after he had heard her , she and Jace came running out towards them. Alec was still tired but he felt great as he jumped down from his horse and hugged them. He had missed them so much. He felt like he was home again.  _

_ “”Oh, Alec I’m so glad that you are back home. Everything is falling apart and we don’t know how to react. It's so much with the funeral and the ruling and… Oh how I missed you” said Izzy and kept holding him in her arms. After that Alec and Magnus learned that Alec's father had been killed, just a few days prior. The following days were a blur and Alec couldn’t bring it all together anymore. But he became king and they held a nice funeral for their dad. Magnus was always on his side, helping him and making sure Alec was not loosing his mind. About a year after that Alec officially told everyone about his relationship with Magnus. Of course everyone knew about it by then, but it had to be made official. Alec knew that it had been a hard year for Magnus, but Magnus understood that Alec had to take care of so much and had to find his way into the role as king.  _

It was only a few minutes later when he heard familiar voices, and Rafael and Magnus appeared in the doorway, little Max trailing after them with  an even smaller creature in his hands. 

Max, who  they had found only four years ago, when he was barely a few months old. Neither Alec nor Magnus had expected to have kids but they were so happy about their boys and wouldn’t want to ever miss them. 

“Look, papa!” Rafael pointed again at the arrow. Magnus smiled brightly down at his son. “What a talented son I have. One day you’ll be better than daddy.” 

“Really? Better than daddy?” Magnus nodded.

“You’ll be the best archer in the kingdom. Just wait and see.” Magnus patted Rafael’s shoulder softly. “How about you take a break? You’ve been practicing all day. Go inside and help your brother with Tykorn. He almost managed to fly today,” he said. 

Max and Rafael walked into the castle together again, looking and talking about the little creature in Max’s hands.

Magnus moved to sit beside Alec on the bench. “We have some very beautiful kids,” he murmured against Alec’s lips before kissing him softly. 

“They take after their father,” Alec said. Even though he knew it wasn’t possible since none of them were their biological children, they certainly had their attitude and flair for the dramatics from Magnus. 

“And by father you mean you,” Magnus said, and Alec only shook his head with a chuckle. 

“We should go check on them before they throw one of the dragons into the pool again,” he said. 

“I think that  Elark quite enjoyed the bath,” Magnus replied with a chuckle.

“Maybe. But he didn’t make fire for days,” Alec replied. 

“He hadn’t started producing fire regularly anyway.” Alec stood up with a smile, reaching out for Magnus’s hand.

“Come on,” he said, kissing him softly before they walked together into the castle. 

After they had returned Alec had dedicated an entire part of the castle to the dragons, and also released Ithuriel. The dragons came and went as they wanted, but they tended to come around the time they got their eggs. Alec and Magnus would always help take care of the little dragons, and now their kids had joined too.

_ “I’m sorry but you did  _ what _?!” Jace exclaimed after Alec and Magnus were done telling their story of how they traveled around to train and make contracts. And how they made friends among the dragons and eventually killed Lilith. They also told their family that Magnus was a warlock and that it was a good thing. That this had saved their lives and made Magnus who he was.  _

_ “Killed the queen of hell. And now we are bringing back the dragons and for that I plan to use maybe a ballroom or something so we can help them with their eggs,” Alec repeated. After that they kept talking for a long time to make Izzy and Jace understand everything and make them stop thinking that Alec and Magnus were crazy. In the end the other two agreed and decided to help with creating a safe space for those dragons who had helped Magnus and Alec survive   _

This year one of the dragons had hatched early, and they were careful to take extra good care of him. Slowly, and with the help of the dragons as well, they were nursing him back to health. Alec and Magnus stepped into the big room. Like Alec had planned it, It had used to be a ballroom. It was one of the few places they all fit.

The room had been completely changed. All the paintings that had been on the wall had been moved to another place, and the beautiful rugs that used to cover the ground had been moved as well. The floor was of stone, which was good. In the middle of the room was a big pile of wood. It served multiple purposes. Not only did it keep the room warm when the dragons were there, but it was also a good place for the smaller dragons to practice their firebreathing. In the roof over it they had cut a hole so all the smoke would leave the room easily and not suffocate the dragons or any human who was in there to help. . 

They had also removed one of the walls, and replaced it with a gigantic gate. Whenever the dragons came over they would open the gate and the dragons could come and go as they pleased.  In the corner of the room there was a little pool of water which the dragons used both to drink and to bath in sometimes. They also had a corner in which a few feathers were laying around. Since not many people liked to clean in there they had decided to fed the dragons in one corner. Once or up to three times a day someone brought chickens or sometimes a pig or other suitable food into the room . It depended on how many dragons were there and if they were young or old, the older dragons prefered to go out and hunt for themselves but the little or baby dragons were not able to do that yet so Alec had to help. 

When Magnus and Alec stepped into the room Rafael was on Elgdor’s back, pretending to be riding through the sky. Max was chasing Jufil, a two year old, green dragon about the same size as Max himself. 

Magnus flicked his wrist and a flock of blue birds, made from Magnus’s magic, appeared flying around Rafael. He laughed and tried to catch them. Alec took to running after Max, catching him from behind and throwing him to the sky, catching him a moment later before he started tickling him. He really was happy, happier than he had ever been.

 

* * *

 

“Tell a goodnight story, papa,” Max requested as Magnus tucked him into the bed. 

“Yes, papa, please!” Rafael chimed in from where he was already lying in his own bed. The two children had been offered to sleep in different rooms multiple times, but Rafael refused to leave Max’s side, and Max didn’t like to sleep in a room alone. They slept only two rooms away from Magnus and Alec, easily available in case any of them had a nightmare or needed anything else.. 

“Okay, but it’ll have to be a quick one,” Magnus told them, sitting in the chair between both of their beds. “Which one do you want to hear?” 

“Tell the one about the two boys!” Rafael suggested. Magnus smiled and nodded.

“Once upon a time, a long long time ago, there was a prince and his servant…” 

Magnus smiled to himself as he told them the story. It was one of their favorite stories, and little did they know it was a true one. 

“After the prince and the warlock had defeated the evil witch the dragons took them back to their own world. They rode back home on their horses, the dragons leading the way and protecting them from enemies. When they arrived, the prince heard the news of his father’s assassination, which had happened just a few days before. The prince was sad to have lost his father, but he had his brother and sister to rely on, and also the servant. The prince was crowned king, and he ruled the kingdom peacefully. He brought back magic and dragons to the kingdom, and he made it a better one. And a few years later the king and the servant got married, and they lived happily ever after.”

 

* * *

 

 

“What took you so long, love?” Alec asked when Magnus stepped into their bedroom. “I thought our boys were so out of energy that they had fallen asleep straight away.”

“Well they wanted to hear a bedtime story so… I couldn’t just leave them could I?” Magnus chuckled and stepped closer so he could kiss Alec. 

“What story did you tell tnight?” he asked.

“You can guess three times, my king.” 

“Oh… the two boys, agin? It’s incredible how often they want to hear that.”

“Well I will never get tired of telling it. I love to say that we got married and are now having our happily ever after.”

“Can you remember our wedding?”

“Can… can I remember our wedding? Alexander what a stupid question. Of course I can remember our wedding. It was such a huge event and the whole kingdom was there. Well, not really but it felt like that… It was one of the happiest days of my live. Right on top next to day we decided to keep Rafael and the day we found Max. Our two babies.” he said. 

“Yes… those are my favourite days as well,” agreed Alec. He then took Magnus’s hand and pulled him to the bed. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Last chapter of his story... Or is it? There is a little surprise coming, but I can't promise it'll come before Christmas. I'll try to get it this year at least. It's not relevant to the plot, so you don't have to read it unless you want to. 
> 
> There were many other plot lines I wanted to write, like Morgana's story. But unfortunately my time is limited. Maybe sometime in the future I will, but nothing is planned yet.
> 
> Anyway, I want to thank everyone who left kudos and comments on this. Every comment has been really appreciated and motivating, so thank you. 
> 
> For now I just want to say Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates that, and happy holidays if you don't. Thank you very much for reading this!


	27. A growing family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First comes marriage. Then comes finding children because they can't make any themselves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I am so sorry!!! I promised you this two months ago... I'm very sorry. I got caught up with family and school and literally had no time to write. It wasn't really part of the plot though, and since you weren't left with any cliffhanger... at least I don't feel too bad. Anyway, this is the real end of the story, so congratulations if you made it through! I want to thank everyone that left kudos and comments, because they really do inspire me and make me very happy. I also want to thank my beta because this literally wouldn't exist without her. So big thanks. And now I'll let you get on with the story

Alec looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a golden suit that Izzy picked out for him. Now that he thought of it, it wasn't very unlike the one he'd worn for his other wedding, with Lydia. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. It hadn't even been three years. Almost three years since he and Magnus had come back from their quest. Almost three years since they'd killed the queen of hell. Almost three years spent on fixing his father's mistakes. Slowly magic was coming back to the kingdom. Now, if you walked in the streets, you could see magic everywhere. New stores had appeared, selling ingredients for magical potions, or books about magic and magical creatures. 

Magnus himself had changed. He was more open, more... magical. His magic had sprouted. He was the most powerful warlock in all the kingdoms, and one people looked up to and went to for guidance in their studies. Magnus always had time to help and teach, it was one of his favorite things to do. 

They had made their relationship public about a year after they arrived, although it hadn't exactly been much of a secret. Alec's siblings and his and Magnus's close friends all knew, and many other servants and people that worked in the castle had caught them together. They never faced much judgment, which Alec was thankful for. He didn't know if it was only because he was the king, because they were scared to be punished, or if people really thought it was okay. Either way, he was happy. 

"You look great," came Izzy's voice from behind him. "Magnus is gonna love it."

"Alec could show up naked and Magnus would still love it," Jace pointed out, having just come into the room.

"Magnus would definitely love it if he went naked," Izzy agreed.

"I'm not going naked!" Alec said, a blush rising to his face.

"Of course not, brother dear. You can get naked after the ceremony."

"Izzy!" Isabelle only laughed. 

"Come on, we need to finish you up," she said, taking Alec's hand to pull him along. She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to make it presentable even though it wouldn't stay in place. She adjusted the bow-tie, checked that everything else was in order, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "All ready. Now let's go get you married."

 

* * *

 

"Are you sure he won't think it's too much? Lots of important people will be there..." Magnus said hesitantly as he looked himself in the mirror. He knew he looked good, and that normally Alec would like it. But now wasn't normal. Not only was it their  _ wedding, _ but lots of kings and queens from other kingdoms would be there. Maybe Alec wanted him to tone down a little. The red streaks in his hair, black eyeliner and eyeshadow around his eyes, and his black nails, were not exactly something you saw every day. He didn't want to freak anyone out. 

"Magnus, it's perfect. Alec will love it, and if anyone doesn't then that's their problem," Catarina said, taking Magnus's hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze. "Okay?" 

Magnus nodded, squeezing back. What would he ever do without Catarina? "Okay." Just then the door opened, and Ragnor came in.

Magnus had met Ragnor a few months after they came back from the quest. He'd joined Alec in a meeting, something that didn't happen often because Magnus found those meetings incredibly boring. They had been talking about bringing magic back to the kingdom though, so Magnus had joined him. If only for the sake of the subject. Ragnor was a sort of counselor, everything Alec wanted to do that would affect the kingdom had to go through him first. He approved almost immediately to bring magic back. And he never stopped looking curiously at Magnus. 

After the meeting, he had approached Magnus. 

_ "You were the one to change his mind, weren't you?" he asked.  _

_ "Change his mind? What do you mean?"  _

_ "You're a warlock. I can feel your magic. And it's evident that he cares about you." _

_ "You... can feel the magic?" Magnus questioned, frowning.  _

_ "Can't you? It’s more evident on some people, but everyone has an aura. Very few people born with the gift of magic manage to grow up. Maybe now more will.” _

_ “Are… are you one of those people?” Magnus asked. “Born with magic?” Ragnor had nodded and smiled. _

_ “Ragnor Fell, full-time counselor, full-time warlock,” he introduced himself. “You are still young. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two.”  _

Their friendship had grown over the year, and Ragnor did teach Magnus many things he didn’t know about magic. 

“You ready, Magnus? It’s almost time,” he said. 

“Yeah, I… I’m ready,” Magnus nodded. Ragnor looked him up and down. 

“Let’s hope the king doesn’t pass out when he sees you. That would be inconvenient.” That comment gave Magnus a slight boost of confidence., and he smiled. Cat shook her head and chuckled. 

“Come on, you don’t want to be late to your own wedding.” 

 

* * *

 

They had agreed to walk down the aisle together so the first time they saw each other was before they met the others. Cat, Ragnor, Izzy, and Jace went into the chapel before them and so Magnus had a moment alone with Alec. 

“Wow, Alexander.”

“No, look at yourself Magnus, I… I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Me neither,” Alec said as Magnus stepped closer to Alec to kiss him gently. He loved this man so much and his feelings were threatening to overwhelm him.

“Oh, darling… no need to cry,” Alec murmured, cupping Magnus's cheek to brush away the few tears. 

“Sorry… I just… I am so happy,” Magnus whispered and kissed him again. “Let’s get inside and get married before I fully ruin my makeup”.

 

* * *

 

“I, Magnus Bane, take you, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

“I, Alexander Lightwood, take you, Magnus Bane for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

“May the Lord bless these rings, which you will give to each other as the sign of your love and fidelity,” said the priest before he handed the rings to Alec and Magnus.

“Magnus, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” 

“Alexander, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Alec and Magnus exchanged the rings, smiling as wide as they possibly could. Alec was a bit surprised when he felt something wet on his cheek, he hadn't even realized he was crying. But having this, marrying someone he loved after thinking for so long that he would never know love... Alec was overwhelmed, and he felt happier than he ever had. 

“Forasmuch as groom and groom have consented together in holy matrimony, and have pledged their love and loyalty to each other, and have declared the same by the joining and the giving of rings, by the power vested in me, and as witnessed by friends and family, I now pronounce you husband and husband.” And with that, they were married. Alec leaned down to press a kiss to Magnus's lips, their first kiss as a married couple. It felt like they were back at their first kiss, confessing feelings, happy but also nervous about what would follow. But this time Alec knew that no matter what happened, they could take it. And they would. Together.   
  


* * *

* * *

 

They had a rule. Well, it wasn't as much a rule as it was a routine. But every month, they spent at least two days away from responsibilities, from work, from the kingdom. They would go camping, or they would visit a nearby kingdom, or they would just spend a few days in their room, napping on soft beds, making love to each other, cuddling, and just being together. This time they had decided to go camping, and were riding in the forest to find a perfect spot.

Everything was perfect. Izzy and Jace were taking over at the castle so Magnus and Alec could relax and just take care of themselves. The weather was beautiful, warm and dry. They had their tent with them and Magnus’ used his magic every day to build and destroy their camp. On the third day, they were following a small path, barely big enough for the horses. Alec had just been thinking about maybe finding some water in the cave they were passing by when he heard something.

“Magnus? Did you hear that?” He asked as he stopped Shadowhunter.

“Heard what?” Magnus asked, stopping by his side. 

“I don't know. I feel like I heard something.” The sound came again, almost like a whimper. 

“Maybe a hurt animal?” Magnus suggested, having also heard the sound this time. “Should we try to find it?”

“I think it came from over there,” Alec said, nodding towards the cave. He hopped off Shadowhunter. “It sounds like it's in pain.”

Magnus jumped down as well and then followed Alec. They made their way into the cave, Magnus's hands giving off a little light to help them see. The sound came again, and Alec turned towards it. “Magnus, over here,” he called, gesturing for Magnus to come over. With Magnus’s light there Alec spotted a little silhouette in the shadows. He took a step closer and crouched down, trying to see what it was. And then he realized. “It’s a child.”

“I am not a child.”

Magnus took a step closer, and the light from his magic shined over a little boy. “Oh.. well hello. What are you doing here? Where is your mother?”

“She was here,” the boy said. “But the monster took her.”

“The monster?” Alec questioned. “What monster?” The boy didn’t answer, and instead pulled away from the light. Alec reached for him, but he pulled even further back. 

“We can help you find your mother,” Alec said. “If you tell us what happened. How long was it since the monster came?” He asked. He wasn’t sure if the boy could answer, or how accurate his answers would be. The boy looked barely 3. But they had to at least _try_ to help. 

“I don’t know.” 

“Magnus, can you help? Is there anything you can do?” Alec asked and looked at Magnus.

“I can see if there are any traces of the monster left. But if there aren’t… then no.” Alec turned back to the boy. 

“What did the monster look like? Did you see it?” he asked. The boy nodded. 

“It was black. And with red eyes,” he said. 

“Do you think it was a demon?” Magnus asked, looking down at Alec. 

“Possible… Can you try and look if there are any traces? I’ll talk to him a bit more.”

“Yeah. I’ll be back in a second. In the meantime, take this.” Magnus waved his hand, and in it appeared a torch. He handed it to Alec. The boy pulled close to the flame, and it struck Alec that he had to be cold.

“Thank you,” Alec smiled at Magnus and then looked back at the child. “Can you tell me more? How long have you been in here? Do you want me to take you out of the cave?” he asked. “I have a blanket outside, so we can warm you up.” 

“No, no I don’t want to move. I don’t need your stupid blanket.”

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll stay here then,” Alec assured him. “How long have you been here?” He asked again. 

“We came in the morning,” the boy said. “Mom always comes in the morning. She says that in the morning there is gold in the caves.” Just then came Magnus’s voice. 

“Alec! I found something!” He called. Alec looked over at the boy. 

“Do you want to come with me now? We can help you find your mother, but I can’t leave you here.” 

“Mom says I can’t go anywhere with strangers.”

“I am not a stranger, I am Alec Lightwood, the king of Idris and this is my husband Magnus Bane.” He wasn’t sure if he could expect the kid to know he really was the king, but the little boy nodded. 

“Mom says the king is nice,” he said. “Are you really the king?” Alec nodded. 

“Will you come with me?” The boy nodded. Alec stood up and reached for the boy’s hand. It was ice cold in his. Alec led the boy to Magnus and then looked at him. “So? What did you find?”

“There’s demonic energy here. It’s not very strong, but I’m sure it’s recent. It leads deeper into the cave. I say we check it out,” Magnus said. Alec agreed. If the boy’s mother really had been taken by a demon, Alec wasn’t sure if they would find her. He hoped he was wrong. But the more they moved through the dark cave the less he believed it. And when he heard Magnus call from ahead that they should stop, he had a feeling he knew what Magnus had seen. He told the boy Magnus had found her, but that she couldn’t return with them, and that she had said they had to go back. He could try to explain to him later, but now he had to get the boy out of that cave. And they should probably leave the place before the demon came back.

“But why is she leaving me alone?” The boy asked.

“She’s not leaving you,” Alec assured him, crouching down by the boy. “The monster took her, and he made her go somewhere she can never come back from. She did it to protect you. She loved you. She didn’t want to leave, but she had to.”

“What?” he asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Shhh.., come with us. We'll take care of you.” Alec picked the little boy up, and he didn’t fight it. He waited for Magnus to come back before they together made their way out of the cave.

“I’ll send someone back there to look if the boy has lost anything in there,” said Magnus, Alec nodded. He understood that Magnus wanted someone to pick up the mother so they could properly bury her. So the boy had a place to go once they could explain everything to him.

Their horses, Shadowhunter and Jem, were waiting outside the cave. Alec handed Magnus the torch, which he discarded with a flick of his wrist. Alec immediately went to Shadowhunter and looked through one of the saddlebags, pulling out a blanket. He sat down, pulling the boy into his lap and wrapping the blanket tightly around him.

“Do you want to see a castle from the inside, little guy?” The boy nodded, and Alec smiled softly at him. He gestured for Magnus to come over and Magnus picked up the boy. Alec mounted Shadowhunter and Magus handed him the boy, who Alec sat down in front of him. He showed the boy how he could hold Shadowhunter’s mane without hurting him. A few minutes later they were set on their way back. 

 

* * *

It had been a month since they had found Rafael, and during that time Alec and Magnus didn’t manage to find a family for the little boy. Maybe they didn’t really try. They had asked the boy about his father, but he said he didn’t have one. Alec had sent a scout to the villages around the place they found him. They found out he was from a small town just an hour away. 

The people in the town confirmed it had only been the boy and the mother, and no one knew of any other relatives. This had taken about three weeks to find out and in that time Magnus and Alec had spent a lot of time with the little boy, who was slowly becoming more and more comfortable with them. It had taken a few days to make him open up, but as soon as he told them his name, he started trusting them. 

It seemed like the more time Alec and Magnus spent with this child, the more time they wanted to spend with him.

“Magnus, we need to talk, about Rafa,” Alec said one day after they had put Rafael to sleep in the room right next to theirs, since he refused to go any further.

“What about him?” Magnus asked.

“I don’t want to find him a family,” Alec said, straight out. “I think we already have.” 

“You… Are you asking me to keep him? As our kid?”

“Yes. I don’t want to give him away to anyone else. And you saw how long it took for him to open up to us, what would happen if we left him with someone else now? He lost his mother. He needs something to keep him on the ground. And I feel like… if we leave him now, we’ll ruin everything.”

“That would mean a lot of paperwork for you and studying a lot of books. Basically the same effort it took us to get married,” Magnus said.

“I don’t care. If we both want him, and I know I do, then we can figure it out. Do you want him?” Alec asked.

“Alexander… I’ve spent the past 5 nights telling him bedtime stories which were over an hour long… of course I want him. Having a family with you is a dream come true.”

“Really?” Alec smiled brightly, pulling Magnus close. 

“Yeah, really,” Magnus said and leaned in to press a kiss to Alec’s lips. 

“How do we tell him?” Alec asked.

“We can tell him tomorrow after breakfast,” Magnus suggested. “Say he’s going to stay here.”

"Sounds great."

 

* * *

 

The next morning, after breakfast, they did as planned. Alec and Magnus made their way to their room with Rafael behind them. “We have something to tell you,” Magnus said once they were alone, Rafael sitting on their bed.

“Are you gonna send me away?” The boy asked, eyes already filling with tears.

“Hey, no. We’re not sending you away,” Alec said, reaching out to cup Rafael’s cheek. “Quite the opposite. We’ve decided you can stay here. Forever.”

“Or as long as you want, well… you will probably become king one day since you are the kings oldest son.”

“I will be king?” A smile broke over Rafael’s face. 

“If you want to, yes,” Magnus smiled. Rafael nodded and reached up to hug Magnus and then Alec. That night, after they had put Rafael to sleep, Magnus and Alec were sure they could never be happier than they were right now.

 

* * *

 

“Alec! Alec, I need you!” Magnus called. He had just left the castle to go out to the market but on the doorsteps, he had almost fallen over something. As he took a moment to look closer he noticed that it was a child. A blue child. Magnus knew immediately that this kid was a warlock, the letter which was next to the boy only confirmed that. The mother of the child didn't know how to handle the situation, didn’t feel comfortable raising a warlock and so she had left him. 

By the time Alec arrived, Magnus had finished the letter and had picked up the boy. 

“Yes? Wh- Is that a baby? Magnus, what's going on?” Alec questioned. Magnus handed him the letter. 

“Oh. Well, we’ve thought about having another child, and if you are okay then… I’d love to take him in. Rafa will probably be angry at first because he will no longer be an only child but they will get used to each other and maybe he will love to have a brother.”

Alec looked down at the child. “He is adorable, I mean the blue is something different but he is super adorable.”

“He’s a warlock,” Magnus said. “The blue must be his mark. He’s beautiful.” Just then the little baby opened his eyes, and Magnus saw that those were blue too. 

"Only a warlock could have eyes that beautiful, just like his father," Alec smiled, pressing a kiss to Magnus's cheek.

“He really is beautiful,” Magnus agreed, smiling a bit at the kiss and the compliment. “Let’s take him inside. And then maybe we should let Luke check him over, to make sure he’s okay.”

“Yes, good idea. And then we have to talk to Rafael, he needs to know… oh and we need to all the paperwork again.” Alec sighed. The worst part of this was all the paperwork.

“How about you take him to Luke and I’ll go find Rafael? We can do the paperwork later,” Magnus suggested.

“Sounds good.” Alec nodded, and Magnus pressed a quick kiss to his lips before going back into the castle to look for their son.

Alec looked down at the little boy in his arms, with big, blue eyes looking up at him. He made his way to Luke’s house. Once he arrived Alec shifted the boy in his arms and knocked on the door. 

“Alec? What… What are you doing here and… who is this?” Luke questioned as he opened the door for Alec. 

“He was abandoned outside the castle,” Alec explained. “Magnus and I were thinking maybe we could take him in. But we wanted to make sure he’s okay first.”

"Of course I can look at him, please come in. I wasn't aware you had been thinking about adding another member to the family.”

Alec stepped inside. “Well, we have talked about it. And this is the perfect chance,” he said. 

“What about him? Why does he not have parents? Please lay him down there and take off the blanket.”

Alec did as Luke asked. “There was a letter,” he said. “The mother said she couldn’t raise him because of what he is, but that she hoped someone else could.”

“I see.” Luke nodded. “I can take care of him now, if you come back in an hour I’ll have him ready to go,” he told him. 

“Thank you, Luke. I don't know what we would have done without you.”

 

* * *

 

An hour later and he was back in Luke's house. Luke was sitting in an armchair, feeding the little boy a bottle of milk.

“How is he?” Alec asked, stepping closer. 

“Healthy and strong,” Luke told him. “Although a bit hungry. Do you want to hold him?” He asked. Alec nodded. He took the boys from Luke's arms, and Luke handed him the bottle. “Don't give him too much at a time or he'll choke,” Luke warned. Alec did as Luke said, and let the boy drink small bits at a time.

“Have you thought of a name for him?” Luke asked. Alec shook his head.

“We haven't had much time to discuss it. But I'm sure we'll come up with something soon,” Alec said. 

“Well, you can take him to the castle, let Rafael meet him if he hasn't already. And if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Yes. Thanks a lot, Luke. I'll see you around,” Alec said before making his way back to the castle. Magnus met him by the door, and immediately leaned close to look at the little baby. Magnus had given Rafael the news, and he was waiting in his room to see the baby. 

“Come on, let's show Rafael his new brother, yeah?” Magnus gave Alec a soft smile. 

“We have to be careful, you know? Rafa isn’t that excited,” Magnus chuckled.

“I think he will be soon. As soon as he sees him.”

“I just think he’s scared that we will love him less now that there is a baby, so we have to make sure he knows we will love him the same way.”

“We'll let him know. We'll show him. We can do this, right? We'll do this,” Alec said.

“Yeah, we will,” Magnus nodded. “We will. This will be good. Our little family is growing”

“It is. But we still need a name for him,” Alec pointed out, looking down at the little baby.

“We could ask Rafa what he thinks, bring him in from the beginning” Alec nodded and smiled. 

“Let's go talk to him then. Show him his brother.” With that, they both headed to Rafael's room. 

“Hey, Rafa,” Magnus called, knocking on the door. “Dad and I are coming in with the baby, so you can see him.” 

“Do I have to see him?” 

“Oh, come on, sweetie. Have a look at your little brother,” Magnus said gently as they stepped inside.

“Why are you getting another child? I promise I will behave better.”

“It's not about how you behave, Rafa,” Magnus said, sitting down next to him. “We love you with all our hearts, baby. And just because we get another kid doesn't mean we love you any less. It just means our hearts will have to get even bigger to fit two people. And that you will always have someone to play with once he is a bit older. Until then you can feed him and you can name him if you have any idea?”  

Rafael looked a bit unsure, but after a while, he nodded. “What about… Max?” He suggested.

“That sounds cute,” Alec nodded and tilted Max a bit so Rafael could see his face. “It seems a good fit for this little boy don’t you think?” Rafael looked a bit surprised as he looked at him. 

“He's blue,” he said.

“I told you he was blue, Rafa. It's because he's a warlock, just like me,” Magnus said, his eyes flashing yellow. Even though he usually had them glamoured, both Alec and Rafael had seen them and knew of them. “And his skin is just his mark.”

“Can he do magic like you?” 

“He will be able to when he grows up,” Magnus confirmed with a nod. Alec handed Magnus the baby, Max, and sat down on the bed, pulling Rafael into his lap. 

“He'll grow up to be a fine little price. But you, Rafael, you will always be our king.”

“Always?”

“Always,” Alec repeated.

“Always,” Magnus said too.

Rafael thought about that for a moment and then looked at Magnus. “Let me see him again.” Magnus smiled and leaned down, giving him a view of him.

“Isn't he beautiful?” 

“He's small,” Rafael said, making Alec chuckle. 

“He'll get bigger,” he told him. 

“And he'll always look up to his older brother,” Magnus added. 

“And we'll be a happy little family, the four of us.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if I wrote the kids all wrong... I haven't talked to or been with a child that small in ages... and toddlers are really hard to write. They just don't make any sense to me. But either way, I hope you enjoyed this! Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> You made it through! Thank you very much for reading this, and I hope you stay for the next chapters. I will try to have the next one out in a week or two, but I can't promise anything. 
> 
> I apologize in advance if it gets delayed, and I hope you stick to the story anyway!
> 
> Also, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments, come yell at me on tumblr (catmrib) or you can send me a mail at catmribxwriter@gmail.com if you want to ask/say something in private.
> 
> Thank you a lot for reading and have a good day/night/whatever!


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